UC-NRLF 


E7M    373 


PRACTICAL  METHODS 

TO 

INSURE   SUCCESS 


CONTENTS. 

Chapter.  Page. 

PROLOGUE      -------6 

I.     CHANGE  OF  THOUGHT  HABIT  13 

II.     METHODS  FOR  OBTAINING  PERFECT  HEALTH  -  25 

III.  To  PUT  THE  DIGESTION  IN  ORDER  38 

IV.  REGENERATION,  THE  SOURCE  OF  LIFE  49 
V.     WHAT  is  TO  BE  GAINED  BY  REGENERATION?  71 

VI.     THE  CAUSE  OF  INHARMONY  IN  MARRIAGE      -  80 

VII.     THE    LAW   OF   ASSOCIATION   OF    MEN    AND 

WOMEN 90 

VIII.     CONTROL  OF  THE  MIND        -  103 

Methods    to    Develop    Concentrativeness. 
The  New   Memory.  Recollection. 

IX.    CONCLUSION         •-       -       -       -       -       -  126 


PRACTICAL  METHODS 

— TO— 

INSURE  SUCCESS. 


BY 

H.  E.  BUTLER. 

Author  of  "Solar  Biology,"  "Seven  Creative  Principles, 
"Narrow  Way  of  Attainment,"  etc. 


TWENTY  SEVENTH   EDITION. 


THE  ESOTERIC  PUBLISHING  CO, 

APPLEGATE,     CALIFORNIA. 
OR, 

L.  N.  FOWLER  &  Co.,  7,  IMPERIAL  ARCADE, 

LUDGATE   CIRCUS,    LONDON,    ENGLAND. 
1911. 


COPYRIGHTED,  1S&3 

BY 

HIRAM  E.  BUTTER 


PREFACE. 

To  those  for  whom  this  work  is  especially 
intended,  we  would  say,  that  the  laws  and 
methods  herein  taught  have  been  tested  in  the 
lives  and  habits  of  thousands  of  people,  and 
have  proved  to  he  all  that  we  claim  for  them. 

To  parents  cuid  teacners  we  wish  to  say, 
that  although  th^  tnougnts  contained  in  these 
pages  may  seem  Abstruse  and  difficult  for  the 
young  and  inexperienced  to  comprehend,  we 
know  you  will  find,  as  we  have,  that  if  you 
place  them  in  the  hands  of  the  young  and 
allow  them  to  study  for  themselves,  they  will 
gain  a  more  accurate  understanding  of  their 
practical  value  than  will  men  and  women 
whose  minds  are  biased  by  education  and 
experience. 

Therefore,  we  ask  the  friends  of  this 
thought  to  aid  us  in  its  dissemination,  and 
thus  help  those  who  are  ready  to  receive  it,  to 
gain  a  higher  plane  of  development. 


£50470 


PROLOGUE. 

MOTTO. — Use  determines  all  qualities,  whether 
good  or  evil.  The  greatest  use  with  the  least 
evil  result  is  the  best  thing  to  do  under 
all  circumstances. 

BEFORE  introducing  our  subject,  we  will 
answer  a  question  that  nearly  always  arises 
when  a  statement  is  made  similar  to  the  title 
of  these  instructions,  viz.  :  what  will  be  accom- 
plished by  following  these  instructions? 

Our  answer  is  a  promise  based  on  the  per- 
sonal experience  of  many,  .many  years  of 
unbiased  examination  of  the  cause  of  suc- 
cesses, failures,  inharmonies,  sickness  and 
death.  Having  opportunities  placed  before  us 
that  very  few,  if  any,  persons  ever  had,  we  can 
speak  from  that  unfailing  authority — know- 
ledge ;  and  we  promise  you  who  peruse  the 
thoughts  hereinafter  given,  and  carefully 
follow  all  their  suggestions,  that  after  two 
years  of  faithful  adherence  thereto,  you  will 
never  be  sick :  you  will  never  be  in  need  of 
money  or  friends :  whatever  you  undertake 
will  be  successful :  your  mental  capacity  will 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  7 

continually  increase  as  long  as  you  live :  your 
domestic  relations  will  be  very  happy,  and 
your  children  will  be  superior  to  all  others; 
and  when  you  leave  this  world,  the  people  will 
cherish  your  memory,  and  be  thankful  that  you 
lived. 

These  promises  are  of  such  an  extraordinary 
nature,  that  they  may  call  forth  doubt  and 
criticism :  we  do  not  object  to  that,  but  would 
ask  you  not  to  condemn  anything  until  you 
know  it  to  be  unworthy.  The  habit  of  de- 
nouncing things  about  which  you  know 
nothing,  dwarfs  the  intellect,  stupefies  the 
sensibilities,  and  retards  normal  growth ; 
therefore,  deny  nothing,  no  matter  how  absurd 
it  seems,  until  you  know  better. 

In  this  course  of  instructions  we  shall  make 
no  effort  to  exhaust  the  subject  treated ;  on 
the  contrary,  we  intend  to  deal  with  general 
principles,  and  depend  upon  your  own  good, 
common  sense  to  carry  them  out  to  their  legiti- 
mate conclusion. 

This  work  is  based  on  laws  governing 
natural  forces,  which  are  of  such  a  nature,  as 
always  to  furnish  conclusive  evidence  to  the 
practitioner  every  step  of  the  way,  so  that  no 
one  will  need  to  depend  on  our  word,  except 
for  a  very  short  time — probably  three  months. 


8  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

before  receiving  good  and  sufficient  evidence 
of  the  truth  of  what  we  claim.  Therefore,  we 
are  relieved  from  that  long  and  tedious  method 
in  this  line,  that  was  necessary  to  those  grand 
souls,  Herbert  Spencer,  Charles  Robert  Dar- 
win, and  all  others  of  that  class  of  thinkers 
and  world's  pioneers:  they  spent  many  years 
over  a  single  thought,  collecting  all  evidences 
available  before  giving  it  to  the  world ;  because 
the  truth  of  their  statements  depended  upon 
those  evidences.  The  evidence  of  the  truth  of 
what  we  say  is  immediately  obtainable  by 
following  the  instructions  we  give  herein ;  so 
we  will  leave  you  to  judge  of  their  merits  by 
the  light  of  your  own  experience,  and  your  own 
interior  and  reasoning  mind.  The  many  testi- 
monials of  those  that  have  tried  them,  which 
can  be  found  in  "  The  Esoteric  Magazine  "  of 
April  and  May,  1891,  are  proof  enough  to  con- 
vince any  intelligent  person  of  their  true  value. 

Our  methods  are  not  an  unnatural  stimulus, 
bringing  about  a  hot-house  growth,  as  some 
would  have  you  believe,  but  are  intended  to 
remove  the  hindering  causes,  and  allow  nature 
to  do  her  work  in  accordance  with  her  own 
laws. 

I  have  often  been  asked  the  question:— "  If 
these  are  natural  laws  that  bring  about  such 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  9 

marvellous  results,  why  have  they  not  been 
known  and  applied  before  now?"  I  may  be 
able  to  answer  this  question  when  you  can  tell 
me  why  the  great  utility  of  steam  and 
electricity,  as  well  as  many  other  important 
discoveries  and  inventions,  was  not  known 
prior  to  the  nineteenth  century. 

Our  race  has  a  development  transcending 
that  of  prior  ages ;  and  on  that  account  you, 
dear  reader,  have  an  active  desire  for  a  higher 
and  better  condition.  That  heartfelt  desire  is 
a  prayer  that  is  heard  and  answered  by  the 
source  from  which  we  derive  our  intelligence. 
Again,  it  is  a  law  in  the  economy  of  nature, 
that  there  cannot  exist  a  general  desire  for 
anything  that  is  unattainable ;  therefore,  these 
instructions  are  the  answer  to  the  silent 
prayers  of  hundreds  of  thousands  now  living. 

The  way  to  gain  knowledge  is  to  cull  from 
all  sources  facts  that  will  be  of  use  to  us; 
discriminating  carefully  between  the  erroneous 
and  the  true  and  useful ;  but  always  remember- 
ing that  nature  is  constantly  developing  higher 
capabilities,  and  therefore  your  mind  is  more 
capable  than  many  of  the  great  minds  of  the 
past,  or  may  be  by  a  proper  course  of  training. 
Hence,  we  ask  you  to  lay  aside  all  antiquated 


10  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

ideas,  submitting  all  thoughts  presented  to  you 
to  the  crucible  of  your  own  reason,  and  decide 
for  yourself. 

We  hope  that  no  one  will  pick  out  certain 
points  in  these  teachings  and  follow  them  and 
exclude  the  rest,  and  then  condemn  the  teach- 
ings because  they  obtain  only  partial  results. 
If  you  desire  all  the  results,  apply  all  the 
methods.  Do  not  ignore  the  elementary  part 
because  it  is  simple,  for  remember,  it  is  the 
small  things  of  life  that  are  important  in  form- 
ing the  greater. 

We  are  apt  to  jump  at  conclusions,  without 
taking  into  consideration  changing  circum- 
stances, or  the  power  there  is  in  the  motive 
behind  the  act. 

We  purpose  to  build  a  great  structure,  the 
top  of  which  shall  reach  to  heaven,  and  the 
expanse  of  which  shall  take  in  all  the  coming 
generations ;  therefore,  we  begin  on  bed-rock, 
and  no  stone  must  be  left  out  of  the  foundation. 

The  germs  from  which  grows  all  the  know- 
ledge possessed  in  human  life,  are — Sensation 
and  Appetite.  These  were  the  original  guides 
to  the  continuity  of  life,  and  as  long  as  they 
were  natural  they  were  accurate  guides ;  but 
on  the  first  transgression  of  the  laws  govern- 


PRACTICAL   METHODS.  11 

ing  organic  life,  pain  was  introduced  as  a 
safeguard  against  dissolution  (self-destruction) ; 
then  the  two  great  actuators  of  man,  pain  and 
pleasure,  became  manifest.  Pain  was  the 
result  of  sin  against  nature :  pleasure  was  the 
harmonious  action  of  the  senses  with  nature : 
the  former  became  a  probe,  a  scourge,  to  drive 
us  into  obedience  with  laws ;  and  the  latter,  a 
bribe,  to  lead  us  forward  in  self-preservation. 
Herein  was  laid  the  foundation  of  fear  of  pain 
and  desire  for  pleasure,  which  were  to  form  the 
cause  of  struggle.  Pleasure  and  pain,  alike, 
are  caused  by  the  motion  of  life :  either  are 
exhausters  of  life  and  weakening  to  the 
organism ;  no  one  being  able  to  endure  the 
intensity  of  either  very  long. 

We  can  endure  pleasure  longer  than  pain, 
because  it  is  harmonious  action ;  while  the 
latter  is  inharmonious.  All  nature  is  motion, 
— a  song  of  harmony ;  therefore,  moderate 
pleasure  is  productive  of  continuous  vigour. 
Health  is  the  normal  state ;  so  that  the  first 
thing  to  be  sought  for  is  health  or  harmony 
with  nature,  which  is  the  same  thing,  one 
being  the  cause,  the  other,  the  effect. 

We  wish  it  to  be  understood  by  everyone, 
that  this  course  of  instructions  is  not  intended 


12  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

to  be  new  thought :  nearly  all  that  we  shall  say 
here  has  been  said  in  our  lectures  and  writings 
in  "  The  Esoteric  Magazine/'  and  in  books 
published  by  us,  but  associated  with  other 
ideas ;  but  herein,  we  intend  to  focalize  the 
most  essential  parts  for  practical  use. 

We  have  been  traversing  a  circle, — the 
laws  of  regeneration — for  four  years ;  now  we 
wish  to  epitomize  and  finish  this  circle  of  basic 
principles,  and  then  leave  them  entirely  for 
others  to  work  out  and  elaborate.  We  know 
their  value,  and  nothing  of  great  importance 
can  be  attained  until  they  are  incorporated  into 
the  lives  of  the  people. 

When  this  is  accomplished,  there  will  be  a 
foundation  laid  that  will  permanently  lift  our 
race  to  a  much  higher  plane  of  thought, 
capacity,  and  action ;  hence  our  reason  for 
persisting  in  repeating  them. 


FIRST  LESSON. 

I  MOTTO.— God,      by     mind,      (thought,— 

created    the    universe. 

EVERY  application  of  natural  law  to  the 
government  and  development  of  the  physical 
body  reacts  upon  the  mind ;  and  every  effort 
in  the  right  direction  ramifies  into  all  depart- 
ments of  life,  producing  desirable  results. 

The  first  essential  step  is  to  free  the  body 
and  mind  from  the  bondage  of  habit ;  and  this 
is  no  easy  matter,  unless  you  begin  just  right, 
when  it  becomes  a  pleasurable  task.  The 
proper  point  at  which  to  begin  is  in  the  selec- 
tion of  the  kind  and  quality  of  food, — begin  to 
eat  to  live  instead  of  living  to  eat ;  in  so  doing, 
eating  is  governed  by  the  reason.  It  has  been 
said  that,  a  normal  appetite  is  a  correct  guide 
to  the  supply  of  nourishment  needed  by  the 
body,  and  so  it  is;  but  who  has  a  normal 
appetite?  Do  many  in  our  present  civilization 
possess  such?  No,  not  many;  then,  in  order 
to  intelligently  find  this  normal  appetite,  and 
to  establish  it  physically,  you  must  abstain 


14  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

from  all  articles  of  food  not  absolutely  essential 
to  you.  Perhaps  we  may  now  be  speaking  to 
one  who  is  a  slave  to  intoxicating  drinks,  if  so, 
he  will  at  once  say :  I  know  that  it  is  wrong, 
and  should  give  it  up,  but  I  cannot: — it  may 
not  be  strong  drink,  but  some  other  habit  or 
habits.  Then,  do  not  begin  with  the  effort  to 
give  up  intoxicants,  or  whatever  the  habit  may 
be ;  begin  at  the  table,  first,  by  stopping  the 
use  of  tea  and  coffee ;  and  after  a  week  or  two, 
stop  using  condiments  in  your  food,  such  as 
pepper,  spices,  much  salt,  etc., — they  do  not 
nourish  you,  and  only  create  an  abnormal 
appetite.  The  effort  to  do  this  will  strengthen 
your  will  so  that  you  can  discontinue  using  pie 
and  cake,  and  then — pork.  Remember,  that 
the  nature  of  every  animal  is  in  its  flesh.  See 
what  an  insatiable  appetite  the  swine  has ;  you 
are  trying  to  get  hold  of  your  appetite, — then, 
stop  using  the  very  embodiment  of  it.  By  the 
time  you  have  succeeded  thus  far,  your  desire 
for  fermented  liquors  will  be  under  your  con- 
trol, and  abstemiousness  in  eating  and  drinking 
will  begin  to  be  a  delight  to  you.  It  will 
produce  in  you  a  feeling  of  power  heretofore 
unknown,  and  a  desire  to  proceed  further  will 
manifest  itself;  then  you  will  be  ready  to 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  15 

undertake  the  more  difficult  task  of  overcoming 
those  habits  by  which  you  have  been  enslaved. 

We  have  referred  to  pork  as  the  embodi- 
ment of  alimentiveness.  A  little  observation 
will  show  that  appetite  and  passion  are  twins ; 
therefore,  we  are  fully  persuaded  that  a  large 
per  cent,  of  the  lowest  and  most  vicious  habits 
that  degrade  our  race,  arises  from  the  use  of 
pork.  You  will  observe,  that  after  eating  a 
hearty  meal  of  which  this  has  been  one  of  the 
principal  viands,  you  are  still  conscious  of 
an  unsatisfied  craving.  You  may  resort  to 
tobacco,  which  for  a  time  partially  satisfies,  but 
you  soon  want  something  else.  Intoxicating 
drinks  or  opium  is  called  into  requisition,  or 
worse,  illicit  association  for  sensual  gratifica- 
tion ;  so  that  this  appetite  enters  into  all 
departments  of  life ;  and  nearly  the  same 
results  follow  the  use  of  all  kinds  of  flesh  food. 

In  referring  to  the  subject  of  abstemiousness 
in  eating,  let  us  indulge  in  a  little  metaphysical 
physiology. 

The  mind  governs  digestion.  It  is  observed 
that  sudden  and  great  fright,  sadness  or  joy, 
often  arrest  digestion,  and  have  even  been  the 
cause  of  death.  Criminals  have  been  sen- 
tenced to  die  by  poison,  and  coloured  water 


16  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

administered  in  the  name  of  poison  has  caused 
their  death. 

Mental  healers  perform  remarkable  cures  by 
the  psychic  power  of  mind.  The  majority  of 
physicians  know  that  the  confidence  of  the 
patient  in  the  remedy,  is  as  potent  as  the 
chemicals  administered. 

It  is  known  that  a  radical  change  in  the 
kind  of  thought  will  produce  a  change  in  the 
appetite,  causing  a  desire  for  unusual  kinds  of 
food.  The  reason  for  this  lies  in  the  fact  that 
the  mind  is  in  direct  relation  to  chemistry : 
certain  qualities  are  essential  to  certain  kinds 
of  thoughts,  from  the  elements  of  which, 
thoughts  are  formed.  Every  seed,  when 
planted,  will  produce  its  own  peculiar 
structure,  and  certain  chemical  combinations 
are  essential  to  its  growth  into  that  structure. 
The  kind  and  quality  of  plant  is  indicated  by 
its  form ;  therefore,  we  conclude  that  certain 
elements  must  be  present  in  the  system  in  their 
proper  relation,  otherwise  the  form  will  not  be 
manifest. 

Thought  is  form,  and  therefore  must  be  and 
is  formed  of  something.  Those  who  labour 
with  either  hands  or  brain  find  that  they  must 
feed  the  body  in  proportion  to  the  demand 
made  upon  it. 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  17 

Intense  mental  activity  exhausts  the  body, 
and  food  is  the  means  of  supply.  If  this  is  so, 
and  it  is  a  fact  known  to  all,  then,  it  follows 
that  whatever  thought  is  kept  active  while 
taking  and  digesting  food,  will  cause  the  body 
to  select  from  the  food  and  to  assimilate  the 
elements  requisite  to  produce  like  thought. 
Hence,  while  eating,  if  the  thought  to  develop 
power  and  self-control  is  paramount,  that 
function  of  mind  will  be  the  one  abundantly 
supplied,  and  the  one  which  will  grow  rapidly 
and  exert  its  influence  in  the  direction  desired. 
Evidences  and  arguments  in  support  of  this 
very  important  thought  would  fill  volumes; 
but,  the  mind  that  practises  all  these  methods 
of  self-culture  will  perceive  and  comprehend 
the  value  of  them. 

We  quote  the  following  extract  from  Dr.  J. 
H.  Kellog's  "  Domestic  Hygiene  and  Rational 
Medicine, "  page  361,  Food  and  Diet:  — 

"  Since  the  human  body  is  made  of  what  is 
received  into  it  in  the  form  of  food,  it  is 
evident  that  the  character  of  a  person's  food 
will  determine  the  character  of  his  body. 
Experiments  have  again  and  again  proved  this 
to  be  true  of  animals,  and  it  can  be  no  less  true 
of  human  beings.  A  few  facts  bearing  on  this 

B 


18  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

point  may  not  be  without  interest  to  the 
general  reader. 

"  It  has  been  found  that  the  bones  of  hogs 
which  have  been  fed  on  food  coloured  with 
madder,  a  peculiar  colouring  matter,  v/ere 
stained  the  same  colour.  When  herbivorous 
animals  are  fed  on  animal  food,  their  flesh 
acquires  an  unpleasant  and  unpalatable  flavour. 

"  M.  Monclar,  a  French  agriculturist,  has 
been  experimenting  upon  this  subject,  and  finds 
that  he  can  flavour  the  flesh  of  animals  at 
pleasure  by  feeding  them  upon  various  kinds 
of  food  and  employing  a  variety  of  strong 
flavouring  substances.  He  was  led  to  investi- 
gate the  subject  by  the  observation  that  hares 
killed  in  a  wormwood  field,  and  eggs  laid  by 
hens  that  had  eaten  diseased  silk-worms,  had 
such  a  nauseous  taste,  that  no  one  could  eat 
them.  These  facts  accord  well  with  an  ac- 
count which  we  published,  some  years  ago,  of 
the  poisoning  of  a  family  by  eating  chickens 
which  had  fed  upon  potato-bugs.  A  few  years 
ago,  also,  a  case  was  reported  in  which  a 
family  in  Ohio  were  poisoned,  some  fatally,  by 
eating  chickens  which  had  feasted  upon  the 
carcass  of  a  cow  that  died  of  milk-sickness. 

"  FOOD   ELEMENTS  NOT   FOOD. — By   means 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  19 

of  numerous  experiments  at  the  expense  of 
numberless  dogs,  rabbits,  pigeons,  cats,  and 
other  animals,  it  has  been  clearly  demonstrated 
that,  while  the  various  elements  mentioned  are 
food  elements,  they  are  not  in  themselves  food, 
either  when  taken  alone  or  when  artificially 
mixed. 

"  Dogs  fed  on  albumen,  fibrin,  or  gelatine — 
the  constituents  of  muscle — died  in  about  a 
month.  The  same  results  followed  when  they 
were  fed  on  the  constituents  of  muscle  arti- 
ficially mixed.  A  goose  fed  on  the  white  of 
egg  died  in  twenty-six  days.  A  duck  fed  on 
butter  starved  to  death  in  three  weeks,  with 
the  butter  exuding  from  every  part  of  its  body, 
its  feathers  being  saturated  with  fat.  Dogs 
fed  on  oil,  gum,  and  sugar,  died  in  four  or  five 
weeks.  A  goose  fed  on  gum  died  in  sixteen 
days :  one  fed  on  sugar,  died  in  twenty-one 
days :  two  that  had  only  starch,  lived  twenty- 
four  and  twenty-seven  days.  Dogs  fed  on 
fine,  white-flour  bread,  lived  but  fifty  days : 
dogs  fed  on  brown  military  bread,  made  of  the 
whole  grain,  were  maintained  in  perfect 
health :  dogs  fed  on  the  so-called  inorganic 
elements, — the  salts  which  are  extracted  from 
flesh,— died  sooner  than  those  which  had 
nothing  at  all.'- 


20  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

The  importance  of  food,  mental  conditions, 
and  surroundings,  as  factors  of  refinement  and 
growth,  is  illustrated  in  the  rapid  trans- 
formation which  takes  place  in  many  of  the 
immigrants  to  this  country. 

A  striking  exemplification  of  this  is  furnished 
by  the  Irish  immigrants  of  the  lower  classes, 
who  arrive  here  very  coarse  and  low  down  in 
the  scale  of  manhood  or  womanhood,  but  whose 
children  have  scarcely  a  trace  of  resemblance 
to  their  parents.  It  cannot  be  questioned  that 
their  habit  of  thought  and  surroundings  are  the 
cause  of  the  refining  miracle  wrought  in  these 
children.  All  this  is  a  powerful  suggestion  of 
first,  the  necessity  of  beautiful  and  harmonious 
surroundings;  second,  cultured  associations; 
and  third,  proper  care  as  to  the  kind,  quantity, 
and  quality  of  food  taken. 

It  has  been  observed  that  health  and  happi- 
ness are  the  results  of  a  life  in  harmony  with 
the  laws  of  our  being.  At  this  point  in  your 
experience,  you  will  observe  that  there  are  two 
kinds  of  sensation,  each  being  characterized 
by  a  sub-division  of  pleasurable  and  painful 
sensations.  The  first  or  principal  division  is 
the  sensations  of  the  body,  and  pleasure  or 
pain  of  the  mind.  While,  in  the  ordinary  per- 
son, mind  and  the  sensations  of  the  body  are 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  21 

in  their  normal  conditions  inseparable,  yet,  one 
or  the  other  always  leads  and  governs. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  happiness  is  the 
aim  of  life;  therefore,  in  the  "  Declaration  of 
Independence  "  of  the  United  States,  we  have 
these  words:  "  We  hold  these  truths  to  be 
self-evident :  that  all  men  are  created  free  and 
equal,  and  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with 
certain  unalienable  rights,  among  which  are 
life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness." 
This  is  true ;  but  have  they  obtained  the  object 
of  their  pursuit?  It  is  claimed  by  those  who 
have  made  a  study  of  this  subject,  that  there 
is  only  a  small  percentage  of  happiness  in  the 
•world,  while  the  capital  stock  is  of  the  opposite 
character.  Was  this  the  design  of  our 
Creator?  O  no!  yet,  the  laws  governing  this 
state  of  things  are  in  accord  with  His  design. 
The  cause  of  this  failure  to  realize  happiness 
is,  that  the  people  have  centred  their  minds 
upon  the  physical  organism,  and  regard  that, 
instead  of  the  intelligence,  as  the  real  self. 
This  is  delusive. 

All  pleasure  arising  in  the  physical  body 
reacts  upon  the  mind,  producing  pain  in  that 
direction,  because  it  is  a  disturbance  of  the 
normal  action  of  life.  A  wise  soul  once  said 


22  'PRACTICAL    METHODS. 

to  me :  "  I  do  not  like  to  have  any  sensations 
in  my  body,  for,  when  the  body  is  normal  it 
has  no  sensations."  This  is  true.  Is  there 
any  sensation  in  your  hand  when  it  is  lying 
quietly  by  your  side?  no;  but  if  a  fly  lights 
upon  it,  you  feel  it.  If  you  are  pricked  by  a 
pin  it  hurts:  why?  because  the  life  is  disturbed 
in  its  normal  action.  There  is  no  taste  in  the 
mouth,  unless  something  of  a  foreign  nature 
is  taken  into  it ;  then,  the  sense  of  taste  is 
excited,  and  with  it  Nature  makes  conditions 
to  adapt  itself  to  the  work  of  taking  care  of 
this  substance.  And  so  it  is  with  every  sensa- 
tion ;  it  is  a  disturbance  of  the  life, — life  in 
motion,  and  this  is  exhaustion. 

In  advanced  souls  there  is  a  constant  desire 
for — what?  While  looking  wholly  to  the 
senses,  they  try  in  every  conceivable  way  to 
gratify  them,  and  thereby,  sometimes,  form 
destructive  habits ;  but  every  effort  in  this 
direction  brings  pain  and  disability,  mentally 
and  physically.  That  desire,  then,  must  arise 
from  some  need  in  the  mind.  When  you  begin 
the  practice  of  ignoring  the  senses,  except  as 
informants  of  conditions  needing  the  attention 
of  the  mind :  when  you  constantly  regard  the 
body  as  a  chemical  laboratory  through  which 


PRACTICAL   METHODS.  23 

you  have  access  to  all  the  qualities  of  nature, 
and  the  senses  as  sentinels  that  inform  you  of 
conditions  and  demands — you  being  the  Master 
— the  mind  controlling — then  you  will  begin  to 
know  what  happiness  is.  The  act  of  control- 
ling your  own  body  will  create  within  you  a 
consciousness  of  power  that  is  both  pleasurable 
and  profitable ;  but  seeking  pleasure  through 
the  senses  is  always  disastrous. 

The  distinguishing  characteristic  of  man  is 
to  seek  his  pleasure  through  the  gratification 
of  the  mental  tendencies,  while  the  animal  lives 
wholly  in  the  gratification  of  the  appetites  and 
passions.  You  desire  to  be  more  than  a  mere 
animal?  then,  live  in  the  mind.  Your  animal 
body  is  yours,  not  you,  but  is  so  constructed 
as  to  serve  you  in  the  most  important  ways; 
therefore,  it  must  be  well  cared  for, — even 
more  than  a  valuable  horse,  for  its  sphere  of 
service  is  not  only  to  carry  you  around,  but  to 
adapt  you  to  uses  in  the  material  world,  and 
to  supply  you  with  elements  and  conditions  for 
thought :  methods  for  obtaining  knowledge,  as 
well  as  for  growing  capacity  to  think  and  act. 

Few  realize  to  what  extent  their  bodies  are 
deranged  by  abuses  and  neglect.  It  is  a  rare 
thing  to  find  one  whose  body  is  in  proper  work- 
ing order.  Most  people  take  more  food  than 


24  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

they  can  utilize,  and  nature,  in  her  effort  to 
harmonize  and  adjust  itself,  causes  wasteful 
habits  in  the  system,  or  disorders  the  digestive 
functions.  The  mental  disturbance  of  the 
dyspeptic  is  well  understood,  and  is  evidence 
that  every  disorder  in  eating  and  drinking  will 
react  upon  the  mind.  These  small  obstacles 
must  be  removed  if  you  desire  to  actually 
increase  the  mind  powers ;  and  in  doing  this 
you  accomplish  just  as  much  in  every  other 
direction.  Disordered  sensations  are  deceitful 
guides ;  and  as  sensations  are  generally  of  this 
character,  a  stoic  habit  of  life  is  necessary, 
until  all  of  them  have  been  brought  into 
harmony,  so  that  they  will  report  faithfully. 


SECOND  LESSON. 

METHODS  FOR  OBTAINING  PERFECT  HEALTH. 

MOTTO.— In  the  unyielding  will  is  health :  in  the 
weak  will  is  sickness  and  death. 

THE  following  methods  necessarily  serve  as 
the  ways  and  means  for  not  only  establishing 
the  health  of  the  body,  but  also  for  strengthen- 
ing every  faculty  of  the  mind.  Every  practical 
physician  knows  that  disease  can,  in  a  great 
degree,  be  arrested  by  active  energy  of  the 
mind,  put  into  operation  in  the  physical  body. 
It  is  well  known  that  disease  can  be  thrown  off 
by  positive  action,  and  that  people  who  are 
discouraged,  and  who  have  little  or  no  energy 
of  will,  are  sick  all  the  time.  Sometimes 
housewives  get  into  a  discouraged  condition, 
and  for  that  cause  alone  are  under  the  doctor's 
care  continuously :  on  the  other  hand,  it  is 
observed  that  persons  who  are  active  have  no 
time  to  be  sick.  If  they  get  up  in  the  morning 
feeling  "  poorly,"  they  rally  their  will  and 
begin  to  rush  around:  you  ask  them:  "Are 
you  not  feeling  well  to-day?"  "O  yes,"  they 


26  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

say,  "  I  am  all  right,  I  cannot  be  sick,"  etc. 
This  thought,  "  I  cannot  be  sick,"  is  the  vital 
centre  of  the  system  of  mental  healing,  under 
its  various  names;  because,  if  one  can  con- 
fidently resist  disease,  and  knows  how  to  resist 
it,  he  will  conquer  it  in  all  its  forms. 

The  ability  to  resist  adverse  physical  condi- 
tions can  be  carried  so  far  as  to  actually 
overcome  the  effect  of  poisonous  drugs.  A 
gentleman,  in  business  in  Philadelphia,  told 
me  the  following  story:  "  The  druggist  next 
door,  by  mistake,  took  a  powerful  narcotic. 
From  his  knowledge  of  the  power  of  the  drug 
he  knew  that  he  must  die,  but  his  will  would 
not  yield.  He  walked  the  floor  until,  becom- 
ing exhausted,  he  would  drop  into  a  chair, 
until,  feeling  the  stupor  coming  over  him,  he 
would  spring  to  his  feet,  and  with  all  the  will 
he  could  rally,  stamp  across  the  floor,  until 
his  strength  failing,  he  would  again  drop  into 
a  chair;  and  he  persisted  until  he  conquered 
the  effects  of  the  drug,  and  saved  his  life." 

Proverbs  xxiii.  7.  says  of  a  man :  "  For  as  he 
thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he."  Yes,  true; 
whatever  we  can  believe  without  a  doubt,  is  a 
verity.  Paul  said  of  this  principle  of  unwaver- 
ing belief:  "  Faith  is  the  SUBSTANCE  of  things 
hoped  for,  the  EVIDENCE  of  things  not  seen." 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  27 

The  methods  given  in  the  lesson  upon 
dietetics  (First  Lesson),  are  the  first  essential 
steps  in  the  direction  of  the  acquisition  of  this 
faith ;  and  the  following  rules  of  action,  more 
than  the  methods  heretofore  given,  are  such, 
that  an  observance  of  them  furnishes  sufficient 
evidence  of  their  importance. 

In  order  to  conquer  disease,  you  must  deny 
its  right  or  power  over  you :  for  example,  if 
you  have  a  pain  which  retards  certain  move- 
ments of  the  body  or  limbs,  those  movements 
are  the  ones  you  should  make  in  as  positive  a 
way  as  is  possible  without  injury.  If  you  feel 
dull  and  inactive,  take  active  exercise.  Keep 
in  your  mind  the  clearly  defined  difference 
between  the  physical  senses  and  the  intellec- 
tual consciousness.  Remember  that  you  are 
superior  to  and  can  control  every  sensation  of 
the  body;  and  with  this  thought  as  a  basis, 
you  can  cause  the  body  to  obey  your  will,  even 
to  excluding  disease. 

We  often  hear  imagination  referred  to  as  a 
prolific  source  of  disease ;  if  this  is  true,  why 
cannot  the  imagination  be  made  to  serve  as  a 
means  of  cure.  If  the  imagination  is  potent  in 
one  case,  it  certainly  must  be  in  the  other: 
united  with  a  firm  belief,  it  will  kill  or  cure 
anyone. 


28  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

THE  CARE  OF  THE  SKIN. — The  skin  is  full  of 
little  pores  or  tubes,  from  which  a  large  amount 
of  the  effete  matter  of  the  body  exudes.  In  the 
case  of  active  persons,  two  or  three  days  are 
sufficient  for  a  coating  to  form  over  the  body 
similar  to  that  of  varnish.  This  coating  is 
composed  of  acid  and  fatty  substances,  and  a 
little  perspiration  causes  it  to  decompose,  which 
produces  an  offensive  odour.  This  process  not 
only  closes  the  pores  of  the  skin  and  produces 
a  languid  feeling  in  the  body  and  mind,  but 
there  also  springs  into  existence  an  insect 
parasite  called  demodex  -follicularum.  We  will 
not  attempt  to  describe  in  detail  these  savage 
little  brutes,  with  eight  legs  and  sharp  claws, 
and  sharp  lancets  for  puncturing  and  burrow- 
ing into  the  skin,  producing  an  itching,  and 
sometimes  eruptions  similar  to  the  disease 
called  "  mange,"  common  to  dogs  ;  and  it  does 
not  take  very  long  to  produce  these  results  if 
the  proper  amount  of  bathing  is  neglected. 

We,  in  a  measure,  breathe  through  the  pores 
of  our  skin,  and  if  they  were  all  closed,  we 
would  die  almost  as  quickly  as  if  the  lungs 
were  deprived  of  air.  These  pores  or  tubes  are 
provided  at  the  outer  surface  with  muscles  by 
means  of  which  they  open  and  close  :  they  open 
when  the  body  is  warm,  and  close  when  it  is 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  29 

cold.  When  we  are  cold  we  close  or  draw 
together  these  pores  to  prevent  the  heat  from 
escaping ;  and  when  they  are  healthy  and  in 
good  working  order,  we  are  not  apt  to  "  catch 
cold/'  or  to  be  quickly  chilled  when  cold  air 
strikes  us.  Use  is  most  essential  in  order  to 
keep  these  muscles  in  proper  condition,  so  that 
they  will  serve  us  as  nature  intended :  like  all 
other  muscles  if  not  used  for  a  long  time,  they 
cease  to  obey  the  will.  If  we  carry  one  of  our 
arms  in  a  sling  and  do  not  use  it  for  a  long 
time,  we  will  find  that  ft  will  take  considerable 
effort  to  make  it  obey  our  will  when  we  desire 
to  use  it  again  ;  and  so  it  is  with  persons  living 
in  an  even,  warm  temperature,  they  lose  the 
ability  to  close  these  pores,  and  a  cold  wind 
blowing  on  them  chills  them  and  produces  a 
cold.  When  those  in  whom  the  pores  are 
inactive  get  into  a  very  cold  bed,  touch  the 
body  with  cold  water,  or  allow  the  cold  air  to 
blow  on  them,  it  gives  a  shock  to  their  system 
that  they  can  scarcely  endure. 

To  teach  you  how  to  gain  control  of  the 
muscular  movement  of  the  pores :  to  avoid 
colds :  to  keep  off  contagious  diseases ;  and  to 
conquer  and  take  control  of  the  body,  the 
following  advice  is  given:  — 

1st. — Never  sleep  in   a   heated   room;    and 


30  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

keep  at  least  one  window  wide  open  so  as  to 
admit  plenty  of  fresh  air,  NO  MATTER  HOW  COLD 

THE  WEATHER. 

2nd. — Never  sleep  in  a  garment  worn  during 
the  day. 

3rd. — The  bed  should  be  well  aired,  and  kept 
fresh  by  frequent  exposure  to  the  sun. 

4th. — Never  sleep  in  a  room  that  the  sun 
cannot  enter. 

5th. — Always  take  off  all  your  clothing  and 
rub  your  body  over  with  your  hands  before 
putting  on  your  night  robe.  If  you  are  of  the 
class  who  are  sensitive  to  cold,  etc.,  make  it  a 
rule  to  take  a  cold  douche  immediately  upon 
rising  in  the  morning. 

Have  at  hand  a  coarse,  dry  towel  and  a 
woollen  cloth ;  each  of  these  should  be  long 
enough  to  admit  of  taking  an  end  in  each 
hand ;  one  over  your  shoulder,  the  other  behind 
you.  Use  water  the  temperature  of  the 
atmosphere  of  the  room,  or  as  nearly  so  as 
practicable.  Dip  the  woollen  cloth  in  the  cold 
water,  and  wring  it  so  that  it  will  not  drip, 
and  wet  the  neck  and  back  with  it,  after  which 
rub  the  wet  parts  of  the  body  dry  and  warm 
with  the  crash  towel.  Then  wet  the  front  of 
the  body,  and  dry  in  a  similar  manner;  then 
the  limbs  and  feet — first  one,  then  the  other; 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  31 

rubbing  one  warm  and  dry  before  wetting  the 
other;  and  lastly,  the  arms.  Now,  rub  the 
body  with  the  hands  until  all  indications  of 
dampness  are  gone,  and  the  skin  feels  smooth 
and  soft  and  warm :  do  this  vigorously,  and 
then  move  about  the  cold  room  until  the  cold 
air  strikes  every  part  of  the  body. 

The  morning  cold  water  bath  may  be  pre- 
ceded by  a  warm  water  bath  with  the  free  use 
of  soap :  after  which  use  the  cold  water,  as 
above  directed.  This  warm  water  cleansing 
bath  is  not  essential  oftener  than  once  a  week, 
unless  you  eat  a  good  deal  of  meat  and  perspire 
very  freely,  when  twice  a  week  is  the  outside 
limit.  When  you  get  so  that  the  cold  water, 
the  cold  air  or  the  cold  bed,  feels  good  to  you, 
then  these  cold  baths  should  be  taken  every 
second  morning ;  and  on  alternate  mornings 
in  place  of  the  cold  bath,  rub  the  body  with  a 
dry  towel,  and  take  the  cold  air  bath.  It  will 
be  better  for  ladies  whose  vitality  is  low  not  to 
take  these  cold  baths  oftener  than  every  third 
morning. 

The  above  process  calls  into  activity  the 
muscles  of  the  skin,  and  frees  them  from  the 
effete  and  oily  substance  that  forms  a  coating 
over  them.  The  use  of  a  flesh  brush  is  recom- 


32  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

mended,  when  the  warm  bath  is  taken,  for  the 
purpose  of  special  cleansing. 

The  philosophy  of  these  directions  is  this: 
while  the  body  is  comfortably  warm,  no  effort 
is  made  to  close  the  pores ;  but  when  the  body 
meets  the  cold  air,  they  are  closed  by  its 
inclination  to  draw  itself  together.  If  the 
muscles  of  the  pores  have  not  been  used  in  this 
way  for  a  long  time,  we  have  lost  control  of 
them,  and  the  cold  air  rushes  in  and  chills  the 
system,  and  diseases  the  flesh,  or  we  "  take 
cold."  We  know  that  if  we  cut,  bruise,  or 
burn  the  flesh,  and  expose  the  injured  part  to 
the  cold,  we  take  cold  in  it,  and  it  becomes 
inflamed,  fevered,  and  very  sore.  This  is 
because  the  cells  become  chilled  in  consequence 
of  the  muscles,  just  mentioned,  being  atrophied, 
which  renders  it  impossible  to  shut  the  cold 
out ;  but  these  cold  baths  put  them  in  a  healthy, 
active  condition. 

These  cold  woollen  cloth  baths  can  be  taken 
by  the  most  delicate  persons  without  danger  of 
unfavourable  results,  if  the  directions  are  wholly 
followed ;  but  if  you  undertake  them  in  a  room 
where  there  is  a  heater  or  a  stove,  you  will  be 
very  sure  to  take  cold,  and  perhaps  a  fatal  one; 
because,  when  you  apply  the  cold  water  you 
close  the  pores :  that  is  a  strain,  and  as  soon 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  33 

as  you  feel  the  warm  air  strike  you,  you  relax, 
that  is,  you  allow  the  pores  to  open,  and  the 
cold  air  rushes  in  and  you  become  chilled. 
Again,  ladies  are  apt  to  take  their  baths  with 
a  portion  of  their  body  covered,  which  has  the 
same  effect :  the  part  that  is  warm  causes  the 
rest  of  the  body  to  relax,  and  a  cold  is  the 
result;  but  if  the  entire  body  is  exposed  to  the 
cold  at  once,  the  condition  of  guard  is  main- 
tained, and  you  are  safe  from  taking  cold. 
Then,  let  those  of  sedentary  habits  dress  im- 
mediately, and  as  quickly  as  possible  go  out 
for  a  rapid  walk,  so  as  to  cause  quick,  full 
breathing,  and  on  their  return  take  half  a  glass 
or  even  a  glassful  of  cold  water  before  eating 
breakfast,  or,  if  found  preferable,  take  the 
water  before  the  walk.  Persons  of  active, 
physical  habits,  had  better  take  the  glass  of 
cold  water  and  then  go  out  and  take  deep, 
full  breaths,  so  as  to  throw  off  all  the  carbonic 
acid  gas  from  the  lungs. 

We  hope  that  none  of  our  readers  will 
reason,  as  some  do,  that  if  a  little  is  good,  a 
great  deal  is  better,  and  thus  be  led  to  carry 
these  instructions  to  extremes ;  for  always 
remember,  that  evil  is  perverted  good,  and  a 
thing  potent  for  good  is  just  as  powerful  for 
evil.  Even  such  simple  instructions  as  these, 


34  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

when  placed  in  the  hands  of  all,  are  likely  to  be 
misused ;  for  some  are  energetic  and  inclined 
to  overdo,  while  others  are  timid  and  cannot 
be  persuaded  to  do  enough ;  and  to  partially 
follow  these  instructions  is  as  productive  of 
evil  as  to  overdo  them. 

Practise  decisiveness  of  thought  and  action ; 
that  is,  let  every  motion  be  made  for  a  purpose 
that  is  well  defined  in  your  own  mind ;  and  in 
everything  that  you  do,  study  to  make  as  few 
motions  as  possible,  and  this  will  greatly  aid 
your  mind  in  forming  the  habit  of  careful 
deliberation.  Guard  well  your  words,  so  that 
you  may  not  say  anything  except  what  you 
mean,  and  what  you  yourself  fully  compre- 
hend ;  and  as  you  express  an  idea,  think  of 
the  meaning  of  every  word,  and  use  no  more 
words  than  are  necessary  to  convey  the  idea. 
This  will  create  confidence  in  mind  of  your 
hearer,  in  your  intelligence.  Avoid  all  con- 
firmatory efforts ;  they  bring  a  conviction  of 
weakness  and  falsity.  We  often  hear  such 
expressions  as:  "  If  you  do  not  believe  it,  I 
can  prove  it  by  '  so  and  so' ;"  "  I  mean  what  I 
say,"  etc.,  to  say  nothing  of  much  worse 
forms, — the  effort  to  confirm  by  an  oath,  or  the 
wish  of  evil  upon  one's  self  if  it  is  not  true. 
Do  not  even  argue  the  case  unless  opposed : 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  35 

state  the  fact  quietly,  and  if  occasion  requires, 
give  reasons  in  as  few  words  as  will  convey 
your  ideas ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  be  sure  to 
express  your  ideas  so  fully  as  not  to  be  mis- 
understood. Avoid  haste:  be  calm  and  de- 
liberate in  all  your  acts,  thoughts,  and  words : 
never,  under  any  circumstances,  allow  yourself 
to  become  excited.  Laughter,  when  it  is  too 
hearty,  weakens  the  power  of  the  mind ;  avoid 
it.  Do  not  be  too  slow  of  speech ;  first  think 
of  what  you  want  to  say,  and  then  say  it 
without  halting  or  "hesitation.  Study  the  tone 
qualities  of  your  voice.  A  person  living  wholly 
in  the  excited  animal  senses  pitches  the  voice 
very  high.  You,  who  think  as  MEN  AND  WOMEN, 
modulate  your  voice  to  suit  the  distance  of 
your  hearers,  and  consciously  speak  TO  THE 

INTELLIGENCE,  AND  NOT  TO  THE  SENSES  OF  YOUR 

AUDIENCE.  Many  judge  of  character  by  the 
tone  qualities  of  the  voice :  a  thoughtful  person 
meeting  one  whose  voice  is  pitched  to  a  high 
key,  at  once  loses  all  confidence  in  and  seeks 
to  get  away  from  him ;  it  grates  on  the  finer 
sensibilities  and  causes  great  repulsion. 

One's  mind  is  always  affected  by  the  manner 
of  expression ;  therefore,  if  you  wish  to  be 
thoughtful,  always  speak  thoughtfully.  There 
is  so  much  more  in  this  than  we  can  express. 


36  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

We  will  further  urge  the  consideration  of  this 
matter,  by  asking  you  to  OBSERVE  THE  TONE 
OF  YOUR  OWN  VOICE,  when  with  someone  who 
is  grave  and  very  intelligent,  and  whom  you 
greatly  respect  and  love,  that  thereby  you  may 
learn  your  normal  tone  of  voice;  then,  under 
all  circumstances,  keep  that  tone,  with  the 
changes  necessary  to  indicate  mental  states, 
emphasis,  etc.  All  this  is  learned  in  the  study 
of  elocution,  an  art  of  which  everyone  should 
know  something,  no  matter  what  his  sphere  of 
life  may  be.  The  physical  drill  of  the  Monroe 
School  of  Oratory  is  of  great  value  to  all 
classes  of  people. 

Avoid  all  feeling  of  pride  ;  it  is  the  expression 
of  folly.  Carry  your  body  with  dignity,  act  as 
though  you  were  a  king,  but  never  forget  that 
you  are  only  a  man,  as  is  the  beggar  you  pass 
on  the  street.  Always  carry  your  head  erect, 
chin  slightly  down,  body  straight,  with  sternum 
— breast — to  the  front,  shoulders  back,  step 
elastic  and  positive,  but  not  hurried ;  let  your 
steps  be  measured  and  regular.  Avoid  sway- 
ing along,  but  try  to  glide  along  with  as  little 
motion  of  the  body  as  possible.  Remember, 
that  all  form  is  the  expression  of  a  thought :  a 
thief  crouches;  a  weak  mind  allows  the  body 
to  swing  from  side  to  side,  and  a  treacherous 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  37 

person  wiggles  through  the  world  like  a  snake ; 
so  every  motion  expresses  the  inner  thought, 
and  also  thought  is  affected  and  controlled  by 
motion.  This  is  so  potent  in  its  results,  that 
no  matter  how  much  culture  one  has,  if  he  per- 
sists in  any  evil,  it  will  manifest  itself  in  the 
movements  of  the  body. 

As  a  means  of  culture  the  above  suggestions 
are  of  greater  importance  than  will  at  first  be 
realized ;  and  when  you  begin  by  conquering 
habits,  and  gaining  control  of  the  appetites  and 
passions,  this  higher  life  will  come  naturally 
and  with  very  little  thought.  According  to  the 
usual  custom  used  in  writing,  each  of  the  above 
suggestions  should  have  many  pages  in  order 
to  impress  the  reader  with  its  importance,  but, 
our  motto  is, — BREVITY:  we  wish  only  to  sug- 
gest thoughts  and  methods  for  you  to  work  out. 
Think  of  this:  EVERY  THOUGHT  HAS  A  FORM, 

AND  EVERY  FORM  IS  A  THOUGHT  EXPRESSED; 
AND  EVERY  THOUGHT  HAS  TWO  MODES  :  ACTION 
AND  REACTION — ACTION  UPON  OTHERS;  REACTION 
UPON  OURSELVES. 


THIRD   LESSON.. 

TO    PUT    THE     DIGESTION     IN    ORDER. 

MOTTO.— To  live  for  other  eyes,  is  a  life  of 
hypocrisy.  The  house  in  which  I  live  is  of 
polished  marble,  decked  with  the  most  exquisite 
ornaments.  It  is  my  pride  to  keep  it  looking 
beautiful.  Is  it  clean  and  pure  within? 

ALLEGORY. — There  was  once  a  very  wealthy 
man  who  had  a  son  and  a  daughter,  for  each  of 
whom  he  built  a  house.  For  this  purpose  he 
employed  the  greatest  architect  on  earth,  plac- 
ing in  his  hands  unlimited  means  with  which 
to  build  the  most  beautiful  structures  possible. 
This  wise  builder  exhausted  all  the  facilities  of 
earth's  art  and  mechanics,  and  the  structures 
were  transcendently  beautiful  and  convenient 
in  all  their  arrangements. 

When  possession  was  given  to  the  young 
people,  they  conceived  the  idea  of  these 
beautiful  mansions  being  places  for  sensuous 
pleasure,  and  so  used  them  until  every  room 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  39 

was  filled  with  the  debris  of  their  revelries. 
They  did  not  think  of  cleansing  them,  until  they 
were  so  filled  with  decaying  substances,  that 
all  their  pleasures  were  but  the  ravings  of 
delirium,  and  the  emanations  from  within  dis- 
coloured the  walls,  even  to  the  outer  surface. 

That  young  man  or  young  woman  may  be 
you,  dear  reader,  and  that  most  beautiful 
structure,  your  body.  Now,  is  it  not  well  to 
commence  house-cleaning?  If  methods  of 
house-cleaning  are  a  lesson  you  have  never 
learned,  we  will  give  you  a  few  practical  sug- 
gestions in  that  direction. 

The  habit  is  prevalent  of  eating  wholly  for 
the  gratification  of  the  appetite,  gorging  the 
alimentary  canal  with  flesh,  with  all  kinds  of 
pastry,  and,  too  often,  with  intoxicating  beve- 
rages, together  with  tea,  coffee  and  tobacco; 
all  of  which  create  a  morbid  appetite.  How 
seldom  you  think  of  the  mass  of  corruption  in 
your  body,  caused  by  all  the  delicate  leaves  that 
line  the  intestines  being  coated  over  by  the 
slimy  matter  taken  as  food,  remaining  there 
until  decomposition  sets  in,  when  the  breath 
becomes  heavy  with  the  odour,  and  the  emana- 
tions of  the  skin  are  so  laden  with  the  fumes 
of  the  matter,  that  many  days  before  should 
have  been  passed  off  with  the  excretions  of  the 


40  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

body,  that  any  sensitive  person  who  is  truly 
keeping  his  house  in  order  can  smell  them  as 
he  sits  with  you  in,  perchance,  the  elegant 
drawing-room,  church,  or  railroad  car.  Those 
who  live  in  and  are  surrounded  by  such  condi- 
tions become  so  accustomed  to  the  vile  odour 
that  they  do  not  notice  it.  They  frequently 
wash  the  body,  and  the  mere  suggestion  of 
uncleanness  would  be  an  insult  to  them :  but 
the  skin,  once  fair,  has  become  dark,  the  pores 
closed,  and  their  temper  morbid  and  irritable. 
Women  cover  up  these  defects  with  paint  and 
powder,  and,  in  their  "  fix  up,"  they  look 
beautiful ;  but,  within,  they  are  putrid  with 
diseases,  such  as  dyspepsia,  constipation,  and 
a  host  of  other  disorders  arising  therefrom ; 
and,  generally  speaking,  the  more  abundant 
their  wealth,  the  more  thoroughly  are  they  dis- 
ordered. The  man  or  the  woman  who  is  forced 
to  keep  up  excessive  exercise  has  less  of  the 
unessentials,  as  activity  works  off  a  portion  of 
this  matter;  so  that  the  poor  man  or  woman 
really  enjoys  the  best  health. 

The  methods  for  cleansing  the  body  should 
be  heroic,  in  order  that  the  individual  may  at 
the  same  time  gain  control  of  the  appetite  and 
sensations. 

In  the  first  place,  we  advise  fasting.    A  young 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  41 

person  can  make  the  first  fast  one  of  forty-eight 
hours'  duration:  an  elderly  person  of  regular 
habits  had  better  continue  the  first  fast  only 
twenty-four  hours.  After  the  twenty-four  hour 
fast,  wait  a  week  or  ten  days,  and  then  take  a 
five  day  fast.  During  the  time  of  fasting  take 
nothing  into  the  mouth  to  start  the  gastric 
secretions,  or  cause  the  mouth  to  water;  in 
fact,  take  nothing  into  the  mouth  but  pure, 
cold  water;  otherwise,  you  may  injure  the 
stomach.  It  will  be  observed  that  after  the  first 
twenty-four  hour  fast,  it  is  much  easier  to  go 
through  with  the  second,  and  after  the  second, 
the  third ;  notwithstanding,  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  an  appetite  of  intense  activity  will  be 
excited,  and  by  some,  great  difficulty  will  be 
experienced  in  controlling  it  sufficiently  to 
abstain  from  eating  too  much.  Herein  you  will 
have  a  splendid  drill  for  the  will:  it  always 
follows  that  they  who  have  the  greatest  need 
of  development  in  will-power,  have  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  controlling  the  appetite. 

To  prevent  the  hardening  of  the  feces  in  the 
colon,  it  is  well,  after  fasting,  to  flush  the  colon 
with  warm  water,  whether  the  fast  is  one  of 
twenty-four  hours,  forty-eight  hours,  or  five 
days;  but,  in  the  latter  case,  it  is  well  to  do 
this  three  or  four  times  during  the  fast :  the 


42  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

proper  time  for  doing  this  is  on   retiring  at 
night. 

In  order  to  wash  out  all  effete  matter,  it  is 
well  to  inject  into  the  colon  at  least  two  quarts 
of  water ;  expelling  it  as  fully  as  possible ; 
then  inject  a  pint  and  retain  it  all  night,  and 
it  will  be  absorbed  through  the  walls  and  taken 
up  in  the  water  passages.  The  desired  result 
will  be  obtained  by  the  expulsion  of  all  the 
warm  water  taken. 

Cases  of  prenatal  disease  can  be  entirely 
eradicated  from  the  system  by  a  fast  of  from 
twelve  to  fourteen  days.  During  these  fasts 
you  should  be  constantly  active,  and  hold  a 
positive  mental  attitude  toward  the  bodily  con- 
ditions, keeping  active  the  consciousness  of 
the  difference  between  your  own  real  self,  the 
thinking,  conscious  person,  and  the  sensating 
animal  body.  On  breaking  the  fasts,  or  at 
least  the  longer  ones,  we  advise  that  you  first 
take  corn,  roasted  brown  all  through,  and 
either  chew  at  least  one  half  pint  of  it,  or  grind 
it  in  a  coffee  mill  and  eat  it:  roasted  wheat, 
such  as  is  sold  for  dyspeptics,  will  also  answer 
the  purpose.  This  should  be  taken  two  hours 
before  taking  your  first  meal ;  and  if  desired, 
you  may  eat  tomatoes  with  the  corn.  In  case 
the  stomach  sours,  eat  some  salt  fish,  which 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  43 

will  sweeten  and  put  it  in  proper  condition. 
The  coarse  corn,  wheat  or  granula,  will  serve 
as  a  scrubbing-brush  to  carry  off  the  coating 
from  the  alimentary  canal,  and  put  vitality  into 
those  leaves  that  line  the  cavity,  and  will  open 
up  the  lacteals ;  so  that  whatever  is  eaten  will 
fully  nourish  the  body.  The  habit  of  continu- 
ally eating  causes  inaction  of  the  secretory 
glands,  but,  after  you  have  ceased  eating  for 
five  days,  you  start  a  thoroughly  reverse 
action.  The  fatty  material  is  near  the  surface 
of  the  body;  and  when  you  stop  the  food 
supply,  this  is  first  used  up :  much  of  the  effete 
matter  is  thus  returned  to  the  alimentary  canal, 
and  really  forces  open  the  lacteals,  working 
with  them  as  if  they  were  a  sponge :  on  pour- 
ing water  containing  sediment  through  a 
sponge,  its  pores  fill  and  a  coating  forms  over 
it  until  no  more  water  can  pass  through ;  but, 
reverse  the  sponge,  pour  the  water  through  the 
other  way,  and  the  pores  will  be  cleansed.  In 
this  way  your  digestive  apparatus  will  be 
cleansed,  and  at  the  same  time  your  blood 
purified,  enabling  the  system  to  throw  off  what- 
ever diseased  states  may  exist  in  the  body ; 
your  appetite  will  be  restored  to  a  condition  of 
youthful  purity,  and  if  the  fast  is  properly  con- 
ducted, all  the  senses  will  be  placed  with'n  the 


44  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

control  of  your  will.  You  should  not  be  too 
active  during  this  time,  and  those  who  are 
engaged  in  physical  labour,  or  a  business  that 
requires  much  mental  strain,  had  better  take 
a  vacation  while  fasting. 

Most  people  form  a  habit  of  eating,  not  only 
certain  articles  of  food,  but  also  certain  quan- 
tities at  regular  intervals  ;  this  causes  a  demand 
for  a  continuance  of  the  food  supply,  without 
regard  to  the  actual  needs  of  the  body  ;  but  this 
habit  must  be  overcome  before  the  body  will 
serve  according  to  the  demands  made  upon  it 
by  occasional  extra  activity.  It  is  at  such  times 
that  people  break  down  ;  sometimes  this  occurs 
when  it  entails  immense  losses. 

It  will  be  observed  that  after  a  fast  your 
appetite  enables  you  to  take  on  flesh  very 
rapidly.  By  a  careful  examination  of  your 
mental  clearness  and  physical  buoyancy,  you 
should  determine  what  amount  of  flesh  you 
carry  best;  and  when  you  have  as  much  as 
gives  you  the  best  results,  lessen  the  quantity 
of  food,  but  not  the  quality;  for  you  should 
study  to  take  such  quantities  as  best  serve 
your  needs.  Feed  your  body  as  a  fireman  does 
his  boiler ;  when  the  pressure  of  steam  is  low, 
he  feeds  his  fire,  but  when  the  pressure  is  high, 
he  withholds  the  fuel,  and  so  should  you. 


PRACTICAL    METHODS.  45 

Dr.  Tanner,  and  Succi,  lost  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound  of  flesh  per  day ;  but  when 
they  began  eating,  they  put  on  one  and  one- 
half  pounds  per  day, — just  double  the  amount 
of  the  loss  during  the  fast.  This  evidences  how 
perfectly  one  can  take  control  of  the  supply 
and  exhaust  of  his  body.  When  you  have  this 
control,  and  are  forced  into  extreme  mental  or 
physical  strain,  or  both,  you  can  then  supply 
the  extra  demand,  so  that  marvellous  results 
will  be  obtained. 

We  must  again  emphasize  the  importance  of 
the  use  of  a  decisive  will  in  bringing  the  body 
into  subjection.  The  habit  of  following  the 
dictates  of  the  senses  is  far  more  common  than 
is  usually  believed.  Persons  may  have  suffi- 
cient control  of  themselves  to  stop  eating  as 
directed,  and  drag  the  body  around  like  an  arm 
hanging  by  one's  side,  never  throwing  the  will 
of  energy  into  it ;  but  in  such  cases  very  few 
of  the  most  important  results  will  be  obtained. 
The  body  should  be  handled  with  a  decisive 
will,  at  the  same  time  giving  it  plenty  of  rest. 

Remember  the  order  of  these  instructions, 
and  follow  them  in  their  order,  not  letting  go 
of  one  while  following  the  other.  If  it  is  found 
that  the  cold  bath  chills  the  body  too  much, 
then  hurry  through  it,  and  exercise  vigorously 


46  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

until  warm.  We  would  advise  nervous  per- 
sons, who  suffer  considerably  with  the  cold, 
not  to  take  these  fasts  in  cold  weather :  spring 
and  fall  are  really  the  best  times  for  all: 
spring,  however,  is  the  best  time. 

During  all  these  drills  constant  restraint 
should,  from  the  first,  be  kept  over  the  sex 
passions ;  for,  in  some  cases,  the  most 
exhausting  activity  will  arise  in  the  course 
of  these  exercises.  Bear  in  mind,  that  the 
function  of  the  sexual  organs  is :  first,  to 
generate  the  seed,  which,  if  retained  in  the 
body,  will  be  reabsorbed,  and  will  supply  it 
with  new  and  increased  life :  second,  to  pro- 
duce offspring  when  such  are  desired.  More 
will  be  given  upon  this  subject  in  the  next 
lesson. 

The  Hindu  Stoic  finds  that  by  binding  fertile 
soil  on  the  body,  over  the  stomach,  will  enable 
it  to  draw  enough  nourishment  therefrom  to 
supply  its  needs  while  fasting.  This  shows 
that  the  outer  surface  of  the  body  can  absorb 
nourishment  as  well  as  the  internal  organs. 
The  natural  method  for  obtaining  nourishment, 
is  to  take  into  the  stomach  the  seeds  of  cereals, 
properly  prepared,  as  the  digestive  organs  can 
absorb  from  these  the  necessary  elements  to 
repair  the  constant  waste  going  on  in  the 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  47 

system ;  therefore,  you  should  use  discretion, 
and  eat  nothing  that  is  impure  or  not  adapted 
to  supply  the  needs  of  the  body,  otherwise  you 
injure  it.  You  should  also  keep  the  inner 
pores  open  and  clean,  just  as  you  do  the  outer 
surface  of  the  body ;  for  the  lacteals  are 
similar  to  the  pores  of  the  outer  skin,  and  all 
nourishment  is  obtained  by  means  of  absorp- 
tion. Therefore,  lay  aside  the  very  deceptive 
dream  that  eating  to  please  the  appetite  is  the 
unchangeable  condition  of  life :  you  are  more 
than  an  animal,  yet  animals  eat  more  correctly 
than  you  do.  Shame  for  the  twentieth  century 
civilization,  that  all  arts  advance,  except  the 
methods  that  make  man  more  than  the  brute 
beast !  There  is  a  science  of  horticulture  and 
zoological  culture,  but  none  for  the  viticulture 
of  the  human  race.  This  need  we  wish  herein 
to  supply,  for  we  consider  it  of  greater  im- 
portance than  all  the  other  sciences  combined. 
Regarding  these  fasts,  we  wish  it  distinctly 
understood,  that  they  are  not  to  be  taken  at 
regular  intervals,  but,  as  one  takes  medicine — 
when  absolutely  needed.  The  series  of  fasts 
as  suggested  is  for  those  who  have  never 
fasted,  and  is  put  in  that  form  to  make  it 
easier  for  them  to  take  a  five  days'  fast,  should 
they  feel  the  need  of  it  and  wish  to  do  so.  A 


48  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

person  who  has  fasted,  can  fast  as  long  as 
necessary  to  accomplish  the  object  in  view. 
The  fast  system  is  given  as  one  would  place  a 
tool  in  the  hands  of  a  mechanic  who  under- 
stands its  use,  and  who  uses  it  only  when 
necessary.  Persons  who  need  a  repetition  of 
these  fasts  most,  are  the  ones  least  inclined  to 
take  them. 


FOURTH    LESSON. 

REGENERATION,    THE    SOURCE    OF    LIFE. 

"Now  are  we  the  sons  of  God."  (I.  John  in.  2.) 
You  are  a  little  God  (His  son  or  daughter), 
having  power  within  your  own  body  to  create 
another,  or  others,  or  to  recreate  self  and  to 
renew  your  youth  "like  the  eagle's."  (Ps. 
ciii.  5.)  You  have  through  this  wonderful 
body,  access  to  all  the  resources  of  nature;  why 
should  it  grow  old,  and  infirm,  and  die? 
Having  complete  control  over  it,  you  can  be 
what  you  will  to  be. 

HERE  is  a  subject  for  thoughtful  musing  and 
study.  Why  is  it  that  the  seeds  of  vegetation, 
such  as  wheat,  corn,  rice,  and  oats  are  the  food 
of  man?  It  is  because  the  life  is  in  the  seed, 
and  we  take  it  into  our  bodies  and  absorb  it  for 
the  renewal  of  our  own  life,  which,  through 
activity,  is  constantly  being  exhausted. 

Eggs  are  the  seeds  of  the  birds  that  lay 
them,  and  the  flesh  of  the  birds  or  beasts  is 
the  product  of  the  seed  of  their  species.  The 

D 


50  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

nut  is  the  quintessence  of  the  tree,  and  is  a  seed 
that  would  produce  another  tree  like  the 
parent.  What  does  the  spider  do  with  the 
immense  amount  of  food  it  eats?  In  propor- 
tion to  its  size  it  consumes  what  would  be 
equivalent  to  your  eating  a  whole  sheep  for 
breakfast,  an  ox  for  dinner,  and  a  yearling  calf 
for  supper.  What  becomes  of  all  that  nourish- 
ment? In  the  summer,  when  they  are  active, 
look  for  one  of  the  spiders  that  has  a  large 
sack  attached  to  it :  carefully  open  the  sack, 
which  is  often  many  times  larger  than  the 
spider,  and  you  will  see  scores  of  diminutive 
spiders  in  it.  These  are  the  product  of  the 
food  it  has  taken.  Again,  watch  the  worm 
feeding  on  a  green  leaf,  of  which  it  eats  large 
quantities :  its  body  is  almost  a  hollow  sheath 
filled  with  the  sap  of  the  leaves,  from  which  it 
absorbs  the  nourishing  elements  for  its  growth, 
passing  off  the  refuse  as  a  dry  deposit.  The 
food  which  you  take  is  transformed  into  a  fluid, 
and  finally  passes  into  the  colon.  On  its  way 
through  the  body,  the  proper  elements  for 
nourishment  are  absorbed  from  it,  and  in  the 
colon  it  is  finally  hardened  and  passes  off  as  in 
the  case  of  the  worm.  The  worm,  however, 
has  not  the  organs  that  you  possess ;  it  is  in 
itself  nothing  but  a  digestive  apparatus,  and 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  51 

after  finishing  its  work  in  that  direction,  it  lays 
itself  away  in  a  cocoon  and  sleeps  until  spring, 
when  it  takes  on  wings,  comes  out  and  flies 
around ;  feeds  and  lays  its  eggs,  then  dies  as 
if  all  its  life  were  deposited  in  them. 

When  the  male  and  the  female  of  certain 
insects  copulate,  she  absorbs  all  the  substances 
which  his  body  contains,  and  he  dies,  leaving 
only  a  dry  shell.  She  then  forms  her  young 
from  the  elements  she  has  absorbed ;  gives  all 
her  life  to  them,  and  then  dies  also.  Watch  all 
insects,  and  you  will  see  that  their  busy  life  is 
spent  in  gathering  material  (food)  out  of  which 
to  produce  their  kind,  and  then  die  or  are  eaten 
up  by  something  larger.  Look  at  all  life ; 
vegetable,  insect,  animal  and  man,  all  are 
alike ;  living  only  to  obtain  food  to  nourish  the 
body,  produce  offspring,  and  gain  power  to 
care  for  and  bring  them  to  maturity,  after 
which  they  die;  and  the  life  produced  through 
their  organism  lives  on  in  other  organisms 
(their  children),  more  in  number,  but  the  same 
in  kind.  But,  in  all  organic  forms  below  that 
of  man,  the  stronger  subsist  upon  the  weaker; 
that  is,  they  take  their  life  and  the  substance 
that  it  contains  and  create  out  of  it  their  own 
higher  species ;  and  finally,  man,  feeding  upon 
all  below  him,  receives  this  life  that  has  been 


52  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

carried  up  through  its  varied  forms,  and  obeys 
the  injunction  to  "  multiply/' 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  is  evident  that 
the  generation  of  life  is  the  method  of  creation 
of  the  higher  from  the  lower,  in  gradual  grada- 
tions, from  the  life  in  a  drop  of  water  up  to  that 
of  man.  As  man  possesses  a  mind,  and  varied 
capacities  for  using  this  life  otherwise  than  in 
the  mere  production  of  his  kind,  we  may 
reasonably  inquire  if  there  is  a  way  by  which  he 
may  utilize  it  for  the  increase  of  self  in  all  its 
parts  and  functions.  We  know  that  those  who 
are  overworked  have  little  or  no  desire  for  the 
act  of  procreation ;  also,  that  minds  under 
constant  mental  strain  seldom  think  of  it.  This 
evidences,  that,  either  in  action  of  body  or 
mind,  man  may  utilize  this  life-element  gener- 
ated in  the  body.  If  this  is  true,  and  we  think 
that  all  persons  of  experience  and  thought  will 
agree  that  it  is,  then  it  is  certain  that  the 
reservation  of  this  element  in  the  body  is  essen- 
tial to  the  power  of  mind  and  body. 

Even  to  the  casual  observer  the  evidences 
bearing  upon  this  subject  are  too  patent  for 
dispute.  Look  at  the  pure  young  woman  :  her 
cheeks  are  red ;  her  eyes  bright ;  her  hands 
warm  and  dry ;  her  movements  buoyant  and 
vigorous,  and  her  face  covered  with  smiles; 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  53 

she  is  happy  in  her  innocence.     In  course  of 
time  she  marries ;    and  after  a  few  weeks  or 
months  at  most,  you  again  meet  her ;   the  rose 
is  gone  from  her  cheeks ;    the  lustre  from  her 
eyes  ;   the  joyous  smile  from  her  face.     Instead 
of   bounding    along    as    if    her   body    had    no 
weight,  she  moves  heavily,  and  dark  clouds  are 
under  her  eyes.     Take  her  hand  :   it  is  cold  and 
moist.     Pass  her  by  and  call  on  her  at  the  end 
of  the  year.     Now  she  begins  to  look  pale  and 
thin.     Ask  her  what  has  been  the  matter,  and 
she  answers :   "  Oh,  I  have  been  sick ;   I  do  not 
feel    well    now.'*      What    has    wrought    this 
change  in  so  short   a  time?     Certainly,   there 
must  be  something  very  wrong  in  the  marital 
habits.     Nature  always   rewards   the   obedient 
with    abundance    of    her    good ;     but,    always 
punishes  the  sinner  against  her  laws,  and  never 
excuses   because    of    ignorance :     the    God    of 
nature    does    not    remove    the    sentence    that 
nature    imposes,    even    in    answer    to   devout 
prayer.     But,   follow   that  young  woman   fur- 
ther ;    see  her  after  twenty  years.     She  is  now 
worn    and    aged :      around     her    are    several 
children.     The  eldest  is  a  son  of  eighteen :   his 
face  covered  with  pimples ;   his  hands  cold  and 
clammy ;     his   eyes  dull  and  watery,    and  his 
intellect  capable  of  naught  but  mischief.     He 


54  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

learns  slowly  at  school :  frequently  gets  into 
trouble  for  his  wrong-doing :  chews  tobacco : 
smokes  cigarettes:  eats  enough  at  each  meal 
for  two  men :  does  not  care  to  retire  until  late 
at  night :  it  is  with  difficulty  that  his  parents 
can  get  him  out  of  bed,  and  when  up,  he  gapes 
and  lies  around  with  no  ambition.  What  do 
all  these  symptoms  mean?  What  do  they 
evidence  against  this  young  man?  That  he  is 
injudiciously  squandering  his  life  in  secret 
vices,  and  consequently  is  devoid  of  animation 
in  mind  and  body.  He  lacks  all  the  con- 
stituents of  growing  manhood,  and  is  an  easy 
prey  to  almost  any  vice  that  may  be  placed  in 
his  way.  It  is  largely  from  this  class  that  the 
recruits  for  our  prisons,  insane  asylums,  and 
alms-houses  come.  He  may  escape  these  and 
marry ;  but,  his  body  is  not  fully  developed  and 
his  mind  incapacitates  him  for  anything  but 
menial  labour. 

Where  did  all  this  evil  begin?  With  the 
ignorance  of  his  parents,  and  the  consequent 
excessive  indulgence  of  their  sensual  nature: 
he  was  inflamed,  even  in  his  mother's  womb, 
with  that  all-destroying  passion.  The  waste  of 
the  vital  energies  was  the  cause  of  the  mother's 
almost  constant  sickness  and  rapid  decline, 
and  this  loathsome  condition  of  her  son  is  due 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  55 

to  the  same  cause.  Under  the  same  condi- 
tions, all  the  foregoing  symptoms  are  just  as 
apt  to  appear  in  a  young  woman ;  but,  in  her 
case  we  must  add  that  dire  result,  prolapsus, 
and  general  debility  of  the  organs  that  were 
destined  to  reproduce  her  kind.  In  conse- 
quence of  indulgence  in  these  secret  vices,  she 
suffers  all  her  life  ;  and  dies  young.  Her  hus- 
band has  had  no  pleasure  in  the  domestic  life; 
for,  her  mind  has  been  dwarfed :  her  sex 
nature  destroyed,  and  the  doctor  has  been  in 
constant  attendance.  The  husband  has  had  the 
care  of  an  invalid ;  the  doctor's  bills  to  meet ; 
and  perhaps,  after  his  day's  work  is  done, 
several  puny  children  to  care  for.  Oh,  the 
horrible  nightmare  of  a  life  controlled  by  sex 
passion  !  The  dire  results  in  its  path  are  worse 
than, — well,  there  is  no  comparison  anywhere 
in  nature. 

Why  is  it  that  those  who  know  this  most 
terrible  of  all  monsters  remain  silent?  Is  it 
because  they  do  not  know  how  to  remedy  the 
evil?  Many  say  to  us:  "  The  world  is  not 
ready  for  this  kind  of  teaching  ";  then  it  will 
never  be  ready ;  for  unless  these  teachings  are 
received,  the  race  will  go  no  higher.  Its  only 
means  of  perpetuity  in  this  country  is  by  im- 
migration ;  for,  without  the  Germans,  Swedes, 


56  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

and  Danes,  we  would  rapidly  decline :  although 
the  Irish  give  vitality  and  numbers,  yet,  they 
furnish  the  elements  of  intensified  passion  and 
iconoclasm.  There  are  to  be  found  among 
them,  however,  many  exceptions  in  this  par- 
ticular. 

Let  us  return  to  the  young  man  or  woman. 
Ask  them  :  "What  is  the  cause  of  those  pimples 
on  your  face  and  swellings  on  your  neck?"  and 
they  answer:  "  I  inherited  scrofula."  Yes, 
you  inherited  a  passion  that  you  might  have 
controlled ;  but  as  you  did  not,  you  have  these 
results. 

Another  young  man  appears  bright  and 
active ;  but  is  often  seen  in  questionable 
company,  and  is  ever  seeking  to  gratify  an 
inflamed  passion.  Look  into  his  face  and 
notice  the  pores  of  the  skin ;  they  are  full  of 
dark  specks,  or  deep,  coarse  cavities  like  pin- 
holes,  and  his  mind  is  obtuse  in  regard  to 
everything  but  the  commonest  habits  of  life. 
Base,  secret  habits  are  sure  to  make  their 
marks  upon  the  face. 

I  am  aware  that  it  may  seem  inopportune  to 
give  all  these  evidences  of  the  secret  vices  of 
men  and  women ;  but  the  sooner  these  things 
are  unveiled,  the  sooner  many  of  them  will  be 
remedied.  .What  young  man  would  not  rally 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  57 

his  will  to  conquer  these  vices  if  he  knew  they 
were  indelibly  engraved  on  his  face,  so  that  all 
who  saw  could  read?  Let  us,  however,  note 
certain  exceptions :  small  pimples  on  the  fore- 
head and  not  on  the  face  are  an  indication  of 
active  passions  with  occasional  involuntary 
losses,  and,  therefore,  do  not  indicate  secret 
vices.  The  hand  of  a  sensitive  person  may, 
through  the  simple  act  of  shaking  hands,  or 
when  under  embarrassment,  become  cold  and 
moist:  other  than  these  we  can  make  no  ex- 
ceptions. Now,  if  the  marks  of  the  derange- 
ment of  the  blood  and  of  the  whole  nature, 
arising  from  the  waste  of  the  seed,  are  so 
decided  and  so  exceedingly  bad,  does  it  not 
evidence  that  in  these  cases  the  course  of  life 
is  all  wrong?  The  case  of  the  mother  and  the 
son  is  not  a  rare  one :  we  might  almost  say 
that  instances  are  rare  in  which  none  of  these 
results  are  apparent. 

The  organ  of  generation  has  but  two  uses : 
the  first  and  principal  one  is  to  generate  seed 
for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  body  and  brain 
with  proper  powers;  the  second,  to  produce 
children.  No  one  should  under  any  circum- 
stances, allow  the  slightest  escape  of  the  seed, 
only  in  the  case  of  married  people  when  both 
husband  and  wife  desire  a  child. 


68  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

The  dividing  line  between  the  animal  mind, 
coloured,  directed  and  controlled  by  sexual 
desire  and  all  that  grows  out  of  it,  and  the 
proper  mentality  of  man,  seeing  things  as  they 
are  without  colouring  and  shading,  is  found  in 
the  fact  that  man,  in  his  true  sphere,  controls 
the  generative  forces,  while  the  animal  is  con- 
trolled by  them. 

It  is  within  the  normal  ability  of  the  human 
mind  to  grasp  the  most  subtile  or  expand  into 
the  sublime ;  but  as  long  as  man  submits  to 
the  controlling  power  of  sex  desire,  it  will 
continue  to  wield  its  colouring  and  biasing 
influence  over  all  his  consciousness.  Who  has 
not  met  men,  old  and  young,  whose  minds 
were  so  thoroughly  controlled  by  this  monster, 
that  every  mirthful  thought  was  disgustingly 
obscene?  While  sometimes  possessed  of  a  low 
cunning,  enabling  them  to  keep  up  a  show  of 
success;  yet,  the  mind  is  totally  incapable  of 
an  exalted  moral  thought.  True,  these  are 
extreme  cases;  but,  go  among  the  "  roughs  " 
of  our  large  cities;  down  into  the  "  slums, " 
and  listen  to  the  conversation  of  these  people, 
and  you  will  hear  the  most  loathsome  vulgarity, 
which  is  but  the  expression  of  the  vitiating 
influence  of  the  passions  on  the  mind  and 
habits.  We  challenge  the  world  to  cite  from 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  59 

history  one  instance  of  a  criminal  character 
who  was  chaste  in  these  respects. 

We  ask  you  to  make  a  study  of  this  subject, 
and  you  will  find  that  all  immoral  and  vicious, 
or  even  dishonest  characters  arise  wholly  from 
an  abnormal  sex  nature.  In  the  controlling 
influence  of  sex  lies  the  first  step  on  the  down- 
ward path.  Because  of  this  the  ancient 
philosophers  and  biblical  historians  have 
called  the  sex  principle,  "  that  old  serpent"; 
"  the  Devil  and  Satan,  which  deceiveth  the 
whole  world. "  (Rev.  xii.  9.) 

Many  of  our  "  good  "  people  are  unwilling 
to  believe  this,  in  fact,  even  refuse  to  think  of 
it,  and  are  offended  when  their  attention  is 
called  to  the  subject.  They  are  like  one  har- 
bouring a  corrupt  mass  of  decaying  matter  in 
his  closet,  which  is  causing  constant  sickness 
and  death  in  the  family,  and  who  will  not  be 
told  that  all  his  trouble  comes  from  this  source, 
— it  is  too  disgusting  to  his  sensitive  nature. 
Not  only  so,  but  the  people  see  no  way  to 
remedy  this  great  evil ;  for  those  who  are 
accepted  as  authority  upon  such  subjects  have 
impressed  upon  their  minds  that  the  waste  of 
the  seed  is  necessary  to  health ;  that  when 
involuntary  losses  occur,  it  is  only  a  natural 
overflow,  etc. :  hence  they  have  concluded 


60  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

that  the  Creator  has  been  partial  to  the  animal 
world,  but  has  endowed  man  with  an  adversary 
over  which  he  has  no  control.  However, 
thanks  to  our  Creator,  such  is  not  true ;  and 
we  believe  that  we  now  have  with  us,  in  this 
opinion,  every  first-class  medical  authority  of 
recent  date,  and  also  have  the  experience  of 
thousands  of  men  and  women  who  have  re- 
ceived our  instructions  and  have  put  them  into 
practice,  every  one  of  whom  will  give,  as  many 
have  already  done,  the  very  strongest  testi- 
monials of  BENEFICIAL  results  obtained  there- 
from. 

We  will  now  first  state  what  should  be 
accomplished  and  how ;  and  afterwards,  the 
laws  governing  these  things. 

We  have  said  that  the  sexual  powers  are 
intended  to  serve  but  two  uses,  the  first  and 
most  constant  of  these  is  in  the  renewal  of  our 
own  vitality :  the  second  and  occasional  use 
is — propagation.  Every  healthy  man  or 
woman  produces  many  thousand  germs  during 
the  year,  each  of  which  is  capable  of  producing 
another  organism  equal  to  that  of  the  person 
forming  the  germ.  These  germs  should  never 
be  allowed,  under  any  circumstances,  to  leave 
the  body,  except  when  husband  and  wife  both 
desire  a  child ;  then,  before  they  come  together, 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  61 

preparation  should  be  made  for  a  sufficient 
length  of  time  to  put  their  bodies  and  minds  in 
a  proper  condition. 

This  act,  even  with  those  most  zealous  for 
children,  could  not  properly  be  repeated  oftener 
than  once  in  eighteen  months,  which,  for  the 
man,  would  amount  to  almost  a  continent  life; 
and  it  would  add  much  to  the  woman.  Children 
produced  from  fully  matured  and  well  cultivated 
germs  would  be  an  honour  to  our  race;  and 
child-bearing  would  become  a  delight  instead 
of  being  attended  with  danger,  sickness  and 
pain  as  it  now  is.  Great  care  is  taken  to 
develop  good  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  etc.,  and 
even  fruit  and  vegetables ;  but  no  thought  is 
given  to  the  prenatal  development  of  our  chil- 
dren. If  men  and  women  had  complete  con- 
trol of  themselves  in  these  matters,  then,  the 
way  would  be  open  to  begin  the  culture  of  our 
own  species ;  but,  as  it  is,  they  constantly 
yield  to  impulses,  without  regard  to  anything 
else.  The  pernicious  teachings  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  sex  life,  given  by  professed  scientists, 
are  wholly  responsible  for  existing  conditions. 

A  man  in  gentlemanly  dress,  who  had  been 
listening  to  me  upon  these  subjects;  speaking 
in  a  cultured  tone  of  voice,  asked  abruptly: 
•"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  a  person  could,  if  he 


62  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

or  she  wished,  stop  all  discharge  of  the  sexual 
life?"  I  answered:  "Yes!"  He  replied 
gruffly:  "I  don't  Believe  it!"  This  man 
simply  gave  voice  to  the  belief  common  in  the 
world,  and  many  reasons  exist  for  these  con- 
victions. Many  a  man  has  said  to  us:  "  Why, 
I  cannot  control  what  tal^es  place  in  my  sleep ; 
I  know  nothing  about  it  until  after  it  is  all 
over."  Yes,  you  can.  You  should  first  decide 
in  your  own  mind  that  under  no  circumstances 
whatever  will  you  indulge  the  sex  passion.  A 
complete  decision  of  the  mind  is  the  battle  half 
won,  for  anyone;  and  for  many,  wholly  won, 
as  the  decisions  of  the  mind  enter  into  and 
control  the  dream  state ;  some,  however,  have 
greater  difficulty  than  others.  In  order  to  gain 
this  control,  it  is  necessary  in  many  cases,  to 
charge  the  mind  not  to  let  go  of  the  conscious- 
ness of  the  body,  and  so  refuse  to  sleep  soundly. 
Those  who  find  that  they  must  give  up  their 
sound  sleep  for  this  attainment,  need  not  fear 
any  evil  results ;  for,  as  they  become  more 
successful  and  the  body  becomes  more  potent, 
the  need  and  inclination  to  sleep  soundly  will 
pass  away.  Those  who  experience  great  diffi- 
culty in  overcoming  the  waste  of  the  seed  will 
find  that  after  they  have  persevered  and  suc- 
ceeded in  retaining  the  germs  for  even  one 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  63 

whole  month,  the  need  of  the  old-fashioned 
sleep  will  pass  away ;  and,  moreover,  they  will 
observe  that  notwithstanding  they  do  not  seem 
to  sleep  at  all,  they  do  not  feel  tired  or  sleepy ; 
and  as  they  go  on,  there  will  awaken  within 
them  another  consciousness,  which  becomes 
active  as  they  close  their  eyes  and  forget  the 
body.  This  consciousness  is  wholly  of  the 
mind ;  but,  it  is  a  condition  of  the  mind  that 
does  not  use  or  exhaust  the  body ;  on  the  con- 
trary, allows  it  perfect  rest;  and  while  in  this 
state  they  can  perfectly  guard  and  protect 
themselves  from  involuntary  losses.  Some  may 
have  to  struggle  a  long  time  before  they  can 
reach  this  point ;  to  such  we  would  say :  it  is 
necessary  that  you  place  your  mind  in  the 
attitude  of  one  who  is  compelled  to  sleep  in  a 
place  of  danger,  where  he  must  be  on  the  alert 
all  the  time.  For  instance ;  if  you  had  a 
quantity  of  gold  and  you  knew  there  were 
thieves  who  wished  to  steal  it  from  you,  what 
would  be  your  mental  attitude  while  sleeping ? 
The  life  generated  in  you  is  worth  more  than 
gold,  and  there  are  sneak  thieves  who  will  steal 
it  from  you  unless  you  are  in  a  condition  to 
awaken  and  protect  yourself  upon  the  slightest 
indication  of  their  presence.  At  first  it  may 
seem  a  greater  task  than  you  can  perform,  and 


64:  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

so  it  would  be,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  a 
few  days*  success  rewards  you  with  a  condition 
that  takes  the  place  of  sleep.  Your  sleeping 
hours  are  nature's  time  for  recuperation;  that 
is,  replenishing  exhausted  life ;  but,  if  you  re- 
tain the  seed,  the  exhaust  is  supplied  without 
sleep  ;  therefore,  the  necessity  for  sleep  ceases. 

I  personally  know  of  an  instance  in  which  a 
man  who  was  retaining  all  the  seed  worked 
continually,  day  and  night,  for  months,  with 
only  one,  or  one  and  one-half  hours'  rest,  daily, 
which  he  took  lying  down  upon  a  lounge,  and 
immediately  letting  go  of  the  body.  His  mind 
continued  active  while  his  body  laid  like  a  clod 
for  half  an  hour  or  more ;  after  which  the  sex 
nature  would  become  active  (in  its  office  of 
transmuting  the  elements  of  the  blood  into  life), 
and  this  would  continue,  without  any  volition 
on  his  part,  for  perhaps,  half  an  hour,  and  then 
cease.  He  would  then  arise  and  go  to  his 
work,  much  more  refreshed  than  if  he  had 
slept  twelve  hours ;  for  in  that  case,  the  body 
would  have  felt  dull  and  oppressed;  because 
sleep  when  it  is  not  needed  causes  stagnation 
of  the  blood. 

All  persons  living  this  life  should  make  it  a 
rule  to  arise  in  the  morning  as  soon  as  they 
awake,  and  immediately  occupy  the  mind  or 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  65 

body  actively ;  and  when  far  enough  on  the  way 
to  cease  sleeping  soundly,  they  should  carefully 
council  and  experiment  upon  their  feelings,  in 
order  to  ascertain  how  long  it  is  necessary  for 
them  to  lie  in  bed,  and  thus  govern  the  hours 
of  sleep  by  their  conscious  needs ;  but,  so  long 
as  there  are  occasional  losses,  they  should 
persist  in  not  sleeping  more  than  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  health  and  vigour.  No  one  can 
help  you,  and  we  have  never  found  one  instance 
in  which  help  in  this  direction  was  obtained  by 
prayer;  on  the  contrary,  it  has  often  been 
remarked  to  us :  "  So  surely  as  I  pray  for  help 
and  protection,  I  am  sure  to  fail."  Remember, 
dear,  devotional  friends,  the  written  word  is 
"He  that  overcometh,"  etc.  Now,  if  God 
overcame  for  you,  you  would  not  be  the  over- 
comer,  nor  the  recipient  of  the  reward  which  is 
promised  to  those  who  overcome  the  creative 
energies  within  themselves. 

In  regard  to  this  very  point  we  must  make 
some  careful  discriminations.  First  of  all,  we 
meet  the  question :  what  do  we  mean  by  over- 
coming. We  do  not  mean  to  kill  out  all  activity 
or  feeling  in  the  sexual  organs,  because,  the 
purpose  of  that  organ  is  to  generate  and  trans- 
mute the  seed  for  the  use  of  the  body  and  the 

E 


66  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

brain,  and  for  soul  food ;  therefore,  we  mean 
simply  that  you  get  that  organ  under  control 
of  your  will. 

In  regard  to  this  matter  you  can  never 
judge  another  by  yourself;  for  all  diversity  of 
character,  nature,  etc.,  is  intensified  in  this 
organ.  It  is  the  spring  (fountain  of  life)  from 
which  nature  flows  unmodified  by  education  or 
surroundings ;  therefore,  there  are  no  two  alike 
in  this  respect. 

Regarding  ultimates,  these  laws  and  methods 
apply  to  all ;  but  no  absolute  rules  can  be  given 
as  to  means  for  reaching  those  ultimates.  One 
whose  nature  is  very  active,  and  who  experi- 
ences much  difficulty  in  getting  control,  should 
make  every  effort  to  suppress  all  sexual 
activity,  just  as  if  the  effort  were  to  kill  it  out ; 
another  who  has  activity,  but  no  difficulty  in  pre- 
venting waste  of  the  seed,  should  not  suppress 
a  normal  action,  especially  after  sleep  or  quiet 
rest;  for  that  is  nature's  time  and  method  for 
reinvigorating  the  blood.  We  hope  none  will 
allow  a  depraved  imagination  arising  from  in- 
flamed and  unnatural  passion  to  deceive  them 
into  any  kind  of  abuse.  There  are  two  kinds 
of  passion,  each  very  different  from  the  other ; 
one,  imagining  base  and  low  indulgence ;  the 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  67 

other,  an  ENERGY,  activity ;  and  in  so  far  as  it 
affects  the  mind,  it  carries  it  up  to  God,  and 
the  pure  and  good,  and  is  entirely  free  from  any 
base  imaginings  and  desires. 

If  you  are  one,  among  the  many,  whose 
vitality  is  low  because  of  a  weakness  which 
renders  you  unable  to  hold  the  vital  fluids  (and 
the  loss  of  these  fluids  is  the  source  from  which 
arises  all  lack  of  vitality ; — many  young  girls 
inherit  weakness,  so  that  as  soon  as  they  begin 
to  generate  life,  they  begin  to  lose  it  from  this 
cause  alone),  then,  it  is  important  that  you 
concentrate  all  your  powers  in  that  direction, 
and  that,  beginning  with  the  first  of  these 
instructions,  you  follow  them  up  with  will  and 
decisiveness.  Those  who  have  no  conscious- 
ness of  activity  of  the  sex  life  should,  as  well 
as  others,  guard  themselves  and  make  sure  that 
there  is  no  waste.  Many  delicate  ladies,  who 
are  entirely  unconscious  of  any  sexual  activity 
or  waste,  can,  by  the  will,  take  control  of  that 
organ,  when  they  will  discover  that  the  absence 
of  conscious  activity  has  been  occasioned  by 
the  continual  loss  of  the  seed  generated ;  and 
as  soon  as  this  ceases  they  will  find  themselves 
in  possession  of  a  great  power  which  will  tax 
their  utmost  ability  to  subjugate. 


68  PRACTICAL   METHODS. 

In  these  lessons  we  have  given  the  keys  to 
all  that  is  good  and  desirable  in  life.  The 
sexual  power  is  the  creative  faculty ;  in  it  is 
found  the  source  of  all  the  good  and  all  the 
evil  on  the  earth ;  because  it  is  "  the  spring  of 
all  human  action,  the  father  and  mother  alike 
of  all  the  good  and  evil  on  the  earth ;  and 
through  its  halo  alone  can  man  sense  the 
ineffable  essence  of  the  Godhead."  When  it 
is  perfectly  normal,  and  is  being  used  for  the 
health  and  vitalization  of  the  body,  and  is  held 
subject  to  the  dominance  of  the  intelligence, 
then,  the  body,  mind,  and  soul  are  in  a  health- 
ful, growing  condition ;  but,  if  it  is  allowed  to 
dominate,  it  causes  us  to  give  our  life  for  mere 
sensual  gratification,  and  yet  we  are  not  grati- 
fied, but  are  deceived  and  disappointed,  and 
our  life  is  made  a  hell  of  vague  imaginings, 
devoid  of  all  reality ;  and  we  even  lose  the 
ability  to  see  and  understand  things  as  they 
really  are. 

We  know  how  deceptive  the  mind  is  that  is 
under  the  control  of  perverted  passion ;  there- 
fore, we  repeat  the  salient  point,  to  prevent,  if 
possible,  falsification  of  our  position. 

The  function  of  the  sex  organs  is,  to  the 
body  and  mind,  like  that  of  the  digestive  organs 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  69 

to  the  body,  their  action  does  not  mean  grati- 
fication, but  service.  If  left  alone,  the  sex 
nature  will  do  its  work,  and  when  it  is  in  a 
normal  condition,  it  will  do  it  properly,  without 
any  outside  assistance  ;  so,  the  important  work 
is  to  put  it  in  a  healthy  condition  and  keep  it  so. 
Remember,  dear  reader,  this  is  the  fountain- 
head  from  which  your  life  flows ;  if  it  is  pure 
and  good  you  will  be  likewise ;  but,  if  your  life 
is  corrupt  at  the  fountain-head,  what  can  be 
expected  of  the  results? 

"  'Tis  ignorance  that  multiplies  the  wrongs 
Of  human  nature.     Almost  all  the  crimes 
Directly  may  be  traced  to   ignorance, 
And  indirectly  through  the  passions  all. 
The  man  is  ignorant  of  law  who  gives 
Being  to  offspring,  cursed  before  their  birth 
With  passions  that  destroy  their  future  peace, 
And  make  the  stately  fabric  of  the  soul 
A  dungeon  of  impure  depravities. 
The  man  is  ignorant  of  law  who  takes 
A  forced,  reluctant  wife  unto  his  breast, 
Whose  inward  soul   another's  spirit  claims, 
Whose  deepest    heart  expires   in  constant  pain, 
Dying  and  waking  daily  to  new  deaths. 
O  cursed  ignorance  that  educates 
Maidens  for  public  barter ;   that  first  crowns 
With  orange  blooms  their  brows,  then  turns  the  key 
Of   wedlock,  falsely   called  so  by  divines, 
To  crush  them  in  its  infamous  Bastile, 
Making  the  marriage-bed  a  rack,  where  they 


70  PRACTICAL   METHODS. 

Must  wed  themselves,  poor  children,  to  despair, 
As  to  an  iron  giant,  while  the  fire 
Of  madness  inundates  the  reeking  brain. 
O  God,  'tis  terrible  !     Thou  who  didst  once 
Rest  cradled  in  the  sainted  Mary's  arms, — 
Whom  woman  loved,  bathing  Thy  sacred  feet 
With  costly  tears,   wiping  them  with  her  hair, 
Break  Thou   that  spell  of  ignorance  that  makes 
Woman  the  slave  :    redeem  her  captive  heart, 
Let  marriage  be  the  sacrament  of  the  soul, 
The  deathless  union  of  accordant  minds, 
The  blending  of  two  perfect  lives   in  one, 
Whose  home  shall  be  a  paradise,  whose  bliss, 
Chaste,  fervent,  lasting  as  an  angel's  love. 


FIFTH  LESSON. 

WHAT    IS    TO    BE     GAINED    BY     REGENERATION? 

BEFORE  beginning  this  lesson,  the  above  ques- 
tion was  asked  of  a  young  man  in  my  hearing ; 
and  his  spontaneous  answer  was:  "  Why, 
everything !"  Yes,  everything  desirable  is 
attainable  thereby.  We  have  seen  young  men 
and  women  with  pale  faces,  dim  eyes,  and  poor 
health,  begin  a  course  of  lessons  on  this  sub- 
ject ;  but,  before  the  course  closed  or  inside 
of  three  weeks,  their  eyes  would  grow  bright, 
and  the  colour  would  return  to  their  cheeks. 

Young  ladies  resort  to  various  methods  for 
producing  a  healthy  appearance  to  make  them- 
selves attractive ;  and  in  some  cases  young  men 
'do  the  same  thing ;  but  those  who  follow  these 
instructions  will  have  all  the  bloom  of  health, 
and  in  addition  will  possess  that  personal  mag- 
netism which  is  so  attractive,  and  which  is 
really  one  of  the  strongest  factors  of  success, 
even  in  a  business  way ;  it  is,  in  fact,  the  main 
requisite  for  the  success  of  speakers,  teachers, 
lawyers,  doctors,  and  even  salesmen. 


72  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

We  have  often  heard  young  men  who  are 
living  this  life,  say,  that  they  have  added  power 
to  attract  the  opposite  sex.  Just  here  lies  one  of 
man's  greatest  dangers, — that  of  attracting  to 
himself  those  who  will  use  every  means  to 
ensnare  him.  Young  people  who  live  this  life 
become  possessed  of  such  attractive  powers 
that  they  usually  have  their  choice  of  a  com- 
panion from  any  class  of  life.  However,  this 
is  the  least  important  consideration.  We  know 
that  it  is  an  impossibility  to  express  in  words 
one-half  that  is  to  be  actually  attained  through 
this  mode  of  life ;  but  we  will  mention  a  few 
facts,  and  leave  you  to  prove  them  by  experi- 
ence,— then  you  will  know  for  yourself. 

It  gives  a  joyous,  happy  feeling  to  body  and 
mind :  it  clears  up  the  intellect  so  that  one  can 
readily  understand  the  most  abstruse  subjects: 
it  gives  strength  and  decision  of  character  and 
directness  of  purpose :  a  love  of  refinement, 
purity,  goodness,  honour,  justice,  and  morality: 
in  every  conceivable  direction  it  adds  to  the 
capacity  of  mind  and  body, — a  process  of 
growth  which  will  steadily  continue :  we  have 
never  known  anyone  who  could  define  the  limits 
of  the  possibility  of  increase.  We  have  known 
some  of  the  most  marvellous  mind-powers 


PRACTICAL   METHODS.  73 

gained  through  living  the  regenerate  life ;  such 
as: — ability  to  read  the  thoughts  of  others: 
foresee  events,  and  perceive  the  most  subtle 
forces  of  nature ;  in  fact,  we  have  abundant 
reason  to  believe  that  the  powers  of  the  spirit 
•world  may  be  possessed  by  those  who  follow 
these  instructions. 

We  will  relate  one  incident  which  occurred 
in  our  early  experimentation  of  these  methods, 
which  will  illustrate  many  others  slightly  varied 
in  character. 

A  business  man  was  induced  to  live  the 
regenerate  life.  His  business  was  one  which 
called  into  use  his  physical  strength,  and  it  was 
almost  unlimited.  His  constant  activity  and 
strength,  as  well  as  his  keen  business  ability, 
were  a  source  of  surprise  to  all  who  knew  him. 
One  day  we  were  sitting  in  a  basement  room  at 
the  extreme  end  of  a  hundred  foot  store.  In 
order  to  reach  this  room  from  the  store,  it  was 
necessary  to  leave  the  store  at  the  right,  turn 
to  the  left,  pass  through  a  long,  dark  corridor, 
and  turning  again  to  the  right,  open  a  door 
and  descend  one  flight  of  stairs.  We  were 
busily  engaged  in  conversation  with  this  gentle- 
man, when  a  clerk  made  his  way  through  this 
circuitous  route,  and  called  him  by  name.  He 


4:  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

was  speaking,  and  did  not  at  first  answer ;  but 
when  his  name  was  called  a  second  time,  he 
turned  in  the  direction  of  the  clerk, — who  had 
not  descended  the  steps,  and  was  not  even  in 
sight,— and  said:  "  Tell  her  it  is  all  right,  I 
don't  care."  The  clerk  returned  to  the  store; 
and  as  we  were  discussing  matters  relative  to 
the  spiritual  life,  my  friend  turned  to  me  and 
said:  "  When  he  called  me,  I  saw  an  elderly 
lady  dressed  in  black,  who  had  engaged  my 
services  for  this  morning,  standing  in  the  store, 
and  I  knew  that  she  had  come  to  countermand 
her  order.  I  will  go  up  now  and  see  if  this  is 
true."  On  his  return  he  informed  me  that  he 
had  found  matters  exactly  as  he  saw  them  in 
his  mind,  when  he  was  called.  This  man  had 
been  a  materialist,  and  he  was  naturally  very 
sceptical  in  regard  to  every  subject  bordering 
on  the  spiritual ;  but  he  had  then  reached  a 
point  in  his  growth  where  his  scepticism  began 
to  give  way  to  a  vivid  consciousness  within  him- 
self of  the  reality  of  an  immortal  soul,  and  of 
Spirit  or  God. 

We  might  fill  a  large  volume  with  similar 
instances  gathered  from  the  experiences  of 
many  persons  who  have  developed  within  them- 
selves capacities  of  mind  which  transcend,  and 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  75 

seemingly  supersede  the  five  senses;  but  it  is 
not  these  marvellous  powers  alone  that  you 
should  desire,  neither  will  you  gain  these  alone. 
This  example,  however,  will  enable  you  to  see 
that  if  such  marvellous  results  are  attainable, 
there  are  gradations  of  mental  capacities  trans- 
cending any  that  you  now  possess,  and  which 
will  be  of  great  use  to  you  in  whatever  sphere 
of  life  you  may  occupy.  For  instance,  if  you 
have  a  clear  business  mind,  it  will  become  much 
clearer,  and  to  a  degree  transcending  the  power 
of  others :  you  will  be  able  to  discern  the 
motives  of  those  with  whom  you  deal ;  and  so 
you  will  find  yourself  possessed  of  added  ability 
in  every  department  of  life. 

THE    LAW   GOVBRNING,    OR    THE   WAY   IN  WHICH 

NATURE,    UNDER    THE    GUIDANCE    OF    AN 

INTELLIGENT    WILL,    CARRIES    ON 

THIS    WORK. 

The  first  question  to  be  answered  is :  What 
attitude  of  mind  is  necessary  in  order  to  allow 
nature  to  do  its  work  without  interference? 
You  should  first  fully  decide,  so  that  there  is 
no  longer  any  doubt  or  question  in  your  mind, 
that  you  will  stop  all  waste  of  the  vital  fluids; 
and,  that  UNDER  NO  CIRCUMSTANCES  WHATEVER, 


76  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

will  you  allow  yourself  to  enter  into  the  sex 
relation,  or  do  anything  that  will  cause  a  waste 
of  the  seed :  that  you  will  not  under  any  cir- 
cumstances use  the  vital  forces  merely  for  sense 
gratification. 

When  these  decisions  are  really  made,  so 
that  every  feeling  within  you  unites  therewith, 
the  work  is  virtually  accomplished, — but  very 
few  can  do  this  at  once.  With  many  of  you 
there  will  remain  for  a  long  time  a  hidden 
desire  for  the  sex  relation ;  yet,  by  persistent 
effort,  never  yielding,  you  can  overcome  even 
this ;  but  once  to  yield  is  to  give  it  a  control- 
ling influence  which  is  hard  to  conquer. 

When  the  mind  is  unquestionably  fixed,  if 
your  nature  is  ordinarily  normal,  you  will  find 
that  there  will  be  but  one  period  in  the  month 
when  it  will  not  be  comparatively  easy  for  you 
to  carry  out  your  purpose.  At  that  time,  how- 
ever, you  will  find  that  new  feelings  awaken 
within  you,  which,  unless  your  decision  is  well 
made,  will  change  your  mind.  Every  day  after 
that,  there  will  be  a  new  and  increasing  force 
active  within.*  If  you  hold  the  life  for  fifteen 


*Those  who  have  enlisted  in  the  work  of  overcoming, 
and  who  feel  the  need  of  added  information  upon  the 
subject,  can  obtain  it  by  writing  to  the  Esoteric  Frater- 
nity, and  enclosing  a  postage  stamp  for  reply. 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  77 

days  after  this  experience,  you  will  observe 
that  your  mind  becomes  clearer,  unless  the 
passions  have  firm  control  of  you,  in  which  case 
imaginary  beauties  and  attractions  will  present 
themselves  in  connection  with  the  sex  relation, 
which  will  transcend  any  before  known,  and 
this  will  increase  for  several  months;  but  if 
you  hold  firmly  to  your  decision  during  the  first 
thirty  days,  you  will  observe  an  improvement 
in  the  mental  as  well  as  the  physical  powers, 
which  will  steadily  increase  as  long  as  you  con- 
tinue to  live  the  life.  These  conditions,  how- 
ever, in  some  instances  come  so  gradually, 
that  it  might  take  the  party  a  whole  year  to 
realize  what  he  has  gained,  unless  he  loses  the 
life,  after  having  conserved  it  for  a  month  or 
two,  when  he  becomes  very  vividly  conscious  of 
what  he  has  lost,  and  from  the  contrast  he 
learns  what  he  had  gained.  The  physiological 
law  is  as  follows : — Every  time  the  moon  passes 
through  the  sign  the  earth  (sun)  was  in  when 
you  were  born,  a  psychic  germ  matures  within 
you ;  and  when  the  moon  passes  through  your 
polarity  (i.e.,  through  the  sign  it  was  in  when 
you  were  born),  intensified  passion  is  created, 
which,  by  normal  action,  without  help  or 
restraint,  further  than  to  prevent  loss  or  in- 


78  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

jurious  strain  to  the  system,  will  transmute  this 
germ  from  its  germ  state  to  a  pure,  crystal 
fluid.  This  fluid  will  be  taken  up  by  the 
lymphatic  glands,  and  deposited  in  the  blood. 
At  first  this  will  produce  a  quiet,  dreamy  feel- 
ing, unless  you  are  very  active,  in  which  case 
it  will  simply  add  to  your  ability  to  be  and  to 
do  that  which  you  wish. 

After  the  first  successful  month,  the  psychic 
germ  matures  one  sign  earlier,  that  is,  about 
two  and  one-half  days  sooner.  This  is  more 
easily  observed  by  women  than  by  men,  for  it 
will  immediately  affect  the  time  of  their  monthly 
periods,  so  that  they  will  occur  about  that  much 
earlier  each  month ;  unless,  by  a  strong  will 
and  an  active  mind  they  are  able  to  prevent  its 
manifestation  altogether,  which  very  few  can 
do.  Usually  this  process  will  continue  for 
twelve  months,  or  rather,  moons,  then  it  may 
locate  at  the  time  of  the  moon's  entrance  into 
Aries,  Cancer,  Libra,  or  Capricorn ;  but  more 
frequently  in  the  latter  sign,  for  reasons  we  will 
not  now  explain. 

These  manifestations  in  women  do  not  argue 
that  she  only  is  affected  by  these  conditions, 
for  a  man's  life  is  affected  as  much  as  a 
woman's;  but  with  him  the  manifestations  are 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  79 

only  apparent  by  paying   careful  attention  to 
his  feelings. 

It  is  readily  observed  by  those  who  lead  the 
life,  that  all  the  work  is  done  by  the  spontaneity 
of  nature,  and  the  part  we  have  to  take  in  the 
matter  is  to  stop  doing ;  but  it  will  be  found  by 
all  that  this  is  the  most  difficult  part  of  it.  The 
whole  matter  can  be  summed  up  as  follows : — 
Put  and  keep  the  body  in  perfect  order,  and  do 
not  waste  the  life  produced  by  it ;  and  as  surely 
as  the  power  resides  within  you  to  produce 
other  lives,  so  will  it  constantly  renew  and 
increase  your  own ;  and  as  the,  amount  and 
quality  of  life  decides  the  quality  and  capacity 
of  the  person,  so  will  these  continue  to  increase 
in  the  same  ratio. 


SIXTH   LESSON. 

THE     CAUSE     OF     INHARMONY     IN     MARRIAGE. 

THE  sex  nature  underlies  all  that  makes 
existence  desirable:  it  is  the  foundation  of  all 
domestic  life,  and  its  perversion  is  the  cause  of 
all  unhappiness,  while  its  proper  use  is  the 
fountain  of  constant  bliss.  The  perverted  idea 
that  all  happiness  is  derived  from  sexual  inter- 
course, is  the  cause  of  great  misery  in  the 
world.  There  are  few  married  people  who  will 
not  admit  that  the  happiest  hours  of  their  lives 
were  those  spent  while  in  the  company  of  the 
one  they  loved.  Many  times  after  two  of  the 
opposite  sex  have  been  in  each  other's  com- 
pany, the  harmonious  exchange  of  magnetism 
produced  in  them  such  a  feeling  of  exhilara- 
tion, that  their  bodies  seemed  to  have  no 
weight,  but  seemed  to  float  along  without 
effort,  and  they  looked  forward  with  great 
delight  to  the  time  when  they  would  meet 
again. 

How  often  we  read  of  suicides  resulting  from 
disappointment  in  love,  the  reason  being  that 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  81 

they  could  not  live  without  the  object  of  their 
love;  but  had  these  persons  married,  in  all 
probability  they  would  have  felt  no  compunc- 
tion at  being  separated,  after  three  months  pf 
married  life.  Why  is  this?  The  reason  is  that 
while  we  are  potent  with  life,  there  is  a  har- 
monious interchange  and  interblending  which 
feeds  the  body,  mind,  and  soul ;  and  when  the 
life  is  exhausted,  nothing  remains  but  the 
memory  of  what  has  been,  and  the  desire  to 
find  it  again.  This  desire  is  often  the  cause  of 
excessive  indulgence,  that  vulgar  deceiver  that 
robs  both  husband  and  wife  of  health,  happi- 
ness, and  mental  capacity,  and  makes  life  seem 
a  mockery  and  a  deception ;  whereas,  the 
deception  is  an  erroneous  idea  of  laws,  a  correct 
knowledge  and  application  of  which  would 
make  life  far  more  than  the  dream  of  youth 
and  courtship.  That  so-called  dream  is  the 
real  life,  and  the  drugged  lethargy  of  sensual 
indulgence  is  a  horrible  nightmare. 

"  I  saw  two  spirits  shine   above   the  town, 

Whose  marts  ten  thousand  busy  mortals  throng  : 
One  said, 

With  eyes  of  pity,  gazing  down, 

'  Behold  the  dead/  " 

Truly,    the    world    living    in    this   drugged, 
sensual    state  is   dead  to  all  that  pertains  to 

F 


82  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

real  life ;  and  men  and  women  go  about  strug- 
gling and  striving  for  a  phantom  that  is  ever 
before  them,  and  ever  evades  their  grasp. 

One  of  the  causes  of  delight  in  the  virginal 
association  of  the  sexes,  is  the  interblending  of 
the  positive  and  negative  life-elements  obtained 
from  the  magnetism  emanating  from  each. 
The  blending  of  these  magnetisms  creates  life. 
Life  is  not  a  material  substance,  but  is  a  re- 
fined, subtile,  element  permeating  the  whole 
body. 

In  the  generation  of  offspring  the  germ  is 
animated  by  the  blending  of  the  life-elements 
of  both  parents ;  but  when  the  life-elements 
blend  throughout  the  entire  body,  the  pleasure 
transcends  all  others  that  the  human  organism 
is  capable  of  feeling. 

Love  is  a  hunger  of  the  life  which  produces 
motion,  and  guides  the  emanations  to  the  object 
loved.  This  life  emanation  will  go  where  it  is 
attracted,  and  will  not  be  appropriated  on  the 
way.  It  will  travel  thousands  of  miles  by  the 
strength  of  the  mind,  and  cause  itself  to  be 
felt  by  the  one  to  whom  it  is  directed.  Love, 
then,  is  life  in  motion ;  and  the  variety  of 
qualities  of  persons  is  produced  by  their 
different  chemical  compositions. 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  83 

All  persons  cannot  love  each  other,  for  there 
are  natural  repulsions  as  well  as  attractions. 
Where  repulsion  exists,  it  should  be  obeyed; 
for  it  exists  by  virtue  of  the  same  law  that  a 
seed  of  a  certain  kind  attracts  certain  qualities 
and  repels  others,  and  is  thereby  enabled  to 
maintain  its  species ;  otherwise  all  plants  would 
mix  together  and  become  a  shapeless,  con- 
glomerate mass. 

The  same  law  obtains  in  the  creative  prin- 
ciple, love ;  herein  is  a  most  prolific  source  of 
misery  resulting  from  the  marriage  relation. 
Men  and  women  marry  without  knowing 
whether  there  is  a  proper  harmony  in  the  life 
qualities.  How  often  it  occurs,  that  two  good, 
bright  persons  marry,  and  all  their  friends  say : 
"  What  a  good  match  that  is  " ;  but  in  a  year 
or  so,  one,  perhaps  the  man,  turns  out  badly ; 
becomes  lazy  or  vicious ;  or  it  may  be  the  wife 
who  degenerates.  Why  is  this?  Surely,  some- 
thing is  wrong  or  it  would  not  be  so. 

If  we  put  two  elements  together  and  they 
combine  chemically,  another  substance  is 
formed  :  so  it  is  with  the  life  emanations  of  men 
and  women.  The  new  substance  formed  by  the 
combining  of  various  life-elements  are  more 
varied  in  character  than  the  elements  them- 


84:  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

selves.  Sometimes  the  life  qualities  of  two 
good  people  will  produce  a  poisonous  one, 
which  will  destroy  the  body  or  mind. 

Volumes  could  be  written  on  this  vital 
subject,  but  we  only  desire  to  call  attention  to 
these  evils  and  propose  a  remedy.  We  con- 
sider it  wrong  to  point  out  the  ills  of  human 
life,  unless  at  the  same  time  we  show  the  way 
to  avoid  them ;  but  as  we  purpose  to  present  a 
remedy,  we  must  first  consider  the  cause  of  the 
difficulty. 

While  men  and  women  may  marry  without 
knowing  whether  their  life  qualities  will  har- 
monize, nevertheless  it  is  possible  for  them,  to 
be  cognizant  of  it. 

Nature  has  made  abundant  provision  for  all 
the  needs  of  her  children,  and  obedience  to  her 
laws  will  establish  love,  harmony,  and  happi- 
ness. The  perverted  state  of  the  passions,  and 
the  ignorance  of  these  subjects,  has  put  up 
such  a  high  barrier  between  men  and  women, 
that  but  few  can  cross  it  without  dire  results. 

The  barrier  is  the  formality  existing  between 
man  and  woman,  necessitated  by  the  woman 
having  to  continually  remember  her  sex,  and 
that  she  must  be  careful  of  her  speech  and 
actions,  lest  the  man  misconstrue  either  and 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  85 

make  improper  advances.  This  condition  has 
led  to  people  marrying  when  they  knew  com- 
paratively little  of  each  other's  real  nature, 
and  is  the  cause  of  much  of  the  misery,  result- 
ing from  the  erroneous  idea,  that  all  there  is 
in  marriage  is  the  gratification  of  the  animal 
propensities. 

There  is  something  more  in  love  than  the 
majority  of  this  generation  realize.  Love  is 
free;  it  cannot  be  bound  by  any  law  except 
by  that  of  its  own  great  nature ;  but  sensual 
acts  can  and  should  be  bound.  The  Bible 
says,  "  God  is  Love,"  also,  "  God  is  Good." 
When  human  nature  is  free  from  the  tyrant 
passion's  chains,  then  love  will  always  be  good, 
because  it  will  always  produce  beneficial  results. 
It  often  produces  the  exact  opposite  now, 
because  when  the  barrier  is  broken  down,  even 
in  a  small  degree,  young  people  who  are  full 
of  life,— love,  are  blinded  to  all  the  effects  in 
their  own  natures,  and  cling  together. 

Nature  has  provided  senses,  that  if  allowed 
freedom  of  action  would, like  the  normal  appe- 
tite, always  make  right  selections ;  but  if  there 
is  no  choice,  that  is,  if  there  is  no  opportunity 
for  people  to  come  into  close  and  sympathetic 
relations,  with  the  exception  of  maybe  one  or 


86  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

two,    they   are   forced    to   be  guided    in  their 
selection  mainly  by  physical  appearances. 

If  men  and  women  were  known  to  be  too 
honourable  to  wrong  another,  then  a  woman 
could  approach  the  man  towards  whom  she  felt 
attracted,  as  she  would  approach  a  loving 
brother,  and  he  could  receive  her  as  a  loved 
sister ;  and  in  the  exchange  of  that  manly  and 
womanly  sympathy,  no  sensual  passions  blind- 
ing their  sensibilities,  they  would  certainly 
learn  if  it  was  a  brotherly  and  sisterly  love, 
or  a  more  sacred  love ;  and  even  if  they  should 
begin  to  think  it  to  be  true  love,  when  it  is  not, 
variety  of  experience  would  check  their  ardour, 
and  suggest  carefulness,  and  by  the  purity  of 
absolute  chastity  on  the  part  of  both,  the  intui- 
tions would  instruct  the  intellect,  and  thus 
prevent  all  mistakes  in  marriage. 

There  is  a  love  which  few  have  known.  It 
is  a  love  that  opens  the  inner  sanctuary  of  the 
soul,  and  when  it  does,  the  sunlight  of  God's 
great  nature  shines  in  and  illuminates  the  mind, 
setting  on  fire  ("  God  is  a  consuming  fire  ")  the 
whole  nature  of  the  individual,  consuming  all 
evil  desires  and  passions,  and  exalting  the 
individual  to  a  magnificent  man  or  woman. 

Sex  passion  is  often  mistaken  for  love,  and 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  87 

more  marriages  are  consummated  because  of 
this  than  for  any  other  reason.  There  are 
many  who  marry  for  a  home,  for  wealth,  or 
station ;  yet,  passion  has  the  majority,  and 
you,  dear  children,  can  never  realize  what  a 
terrible  monster  he  is,  until  you  have  conquered 
him  and  made  him  subject  to  your  intelligent 
will.  This  monster  is  guilty  of  all  the  crime, 
all  the  heartaches  and  sickness  in  the  world : 
let  us  chain  him  now  and  make  him  our 
servant ;  for  he  is  strong  and  capable  of  as 
much  good  service  as  he  has  been  of  evil ;  and 
we  can  conquer  him  if  we  can  go  to  work  in  the 
right  way. 

The  right  way  is  for  you  to  conquer  him  in 
your  own  body ;  and  while  you  are  doing  this, 
teach  others  to  do  the  same.  Young  man, 
teach  some  other  young:  man  or  woman.  Let 
your  sister  woman  know  that  you  are  more 
than  an  animal,  and  that  you  are  above  all 
animal  desires :  that  you  have  manly  honour 
which  nothing  can  tarnish,  and  she  will  almost 
worship  you  as  a  God ;  but  do  not  allow  her 
weakness  to  deceive  you.  She  is  worshipping 
the  God  manifesting  through  you,  and  not  you ; 
therefore,  do  not  bind  yourself  too  readily  in 
marriage,  for  if  you  do,  both  you  and  the  one 
you  have  chosen  may  regret  it. 


88  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

Very  few  every-day  occurrences  cited  to 
illustrate  our  thought,  will  suffice  to  open  the 
door  to  many  discoveries  not  before  thought 
of  as  causes  of  evil. 

We  have  already  noticed  the  influence  of 
love,  or  life  emanations  through  sympathetic 
attraction ;  hence,  anyone  with  a  pure  mind 
when  caused  to  associate  with  one  addicted  to 
sensual  habits,  will  not  only  have  their  finer 
sensibilities  benumbed,  simply  by  the  contact, 
but  the  perverted  nature  of  the  other  will  use 
every  effort  to  vitiate  their  pure  companion, 
and  drag  him  or  her  down  to  their  own  level. 

Any  person  who  is  living  a  pure  life  is 
instinctively  repelled  by  a  libertine  of  either 
sex ;  but  if  the  sensualist  happens  to  occupy  a 
high  position  in  society,  that  repulsion  is  often 
ignored  for  the  sake  of  position,  in  which  case 
the  association  rarely  fails  to  impregnate  the 
pure-minded  with  evil  desires. 

Who  of  you  who  are  chaste  in  your  habits, 
have  not  met  persons  whose  company,  although 
you  may  have  been  with  them  but  a  short  time, 
has  caused  you  to  realize  that  you  have  not 
only  been  exhausted,  but  your  whole  nature 
seems  to  have  received  a  vitiated  element, 
which  stupefies  all  the  finer  sensations  and 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  89 

mental  actions?  Few  indeed!  Here  may  be 
fitly  applied  the  old  adage:  "  Evil  associations 
corrupt  good  manners."  The  mental  state  as 
well  as  the  physical  condition  of  one  person  is 
sure  to  affect  another,  more  or  less,  according 
to  the  degree  of  sensitiveness  and  the  passivity 
of  the  nature. 

Where  is  there  a  mother  or  a  father  who 
would  not  feel  very  anxious  about  a  son  or  a 
daughter  being  in  the  company  of  those  whom 
they  knew  to  be  immoral  in  their  secret  habits? 
O,  how  many  anxious  hours  do  good  mothers, 
and  good  fathers,  spend  when  their  children 
begin  to  go  into  society  !  How  many  girls,  and 
even  boys,  are  shut  up  like  hothouse  plants,  and 
never  allowed  to  mingle  with  others,  for  fear 
they  will  be  misled,  the  parents  hoping  to 
choose  a  companion  for  them,  and  many  times 
doing  so;  and  how  many  lives  of  beautiful 
children  are  wrecked  by  it ! 


SEVENTH  LESSON. 

laws  that  govern  the  association  of  men 
and  women,  and  make  that  association  a 
necessity,  are  neither  studied  nor  taught,  not- 
withstanding they  are  the  most  important  of 
all,  because  they  govern  all  the  prenatal  con- 
ditions, yes,  the  very  nature  of  our  children, 
and  are  the  fountain  from  which  springs  all 
our  happiness  or  misery. 

The  people  of  this  century  seem  to  be  totally 
ignorant  of  these  laws ;  and,  what  is  worse,  as 
a  result  of  this  ignorance,  their  natures  have 
become  so  distorted,  that  they  have  no  desire 
to  learn  them.  But  we  appeal  to  you, — 
mothers,  and  fathers,  if  you  have  any  parental 
love,  show  it  in  a  practical  way  by  placing  these 
instructions  in  the  hands  of  your  children, 
instead  of  trying  to  prevent  their  reading  them 
as  some  do,  and  will ;  aid  us  to  educate  them 
so  they  may  be  saved  from  falling  into  the  pit 
into  which  you  have  fallen.  If  you  read  these 
suggestions,  and  your  capacity  to  think  has  not 
been  destroyed,  you  will  certainly  recognize 
their  importance. 


PRACTICAL   METHODS.  91 

The  perverted  condition  of  the  general 
thought  is  so  dense,  that  but  few  can  think 
except  as  the  public  mind  leads  them.  Let  us 
turn  our  attention  to  some  of  the  common 
experiences  of  life,  to  some  of  those  to  which 
we  have  become  so  accustomed  that  we  have 
ceased  to  question  their  cause,  but  content  our- 
selves with  the  thought  that  it  is  natural. 

The  reason  why  young  people  love  the  plea- 
sures of  the  ballroom,  is,  that  the  harmony  of 
music  and  motion  calls  all  the  life  forces  into 
rythmic  action,  so  that  in  the  touch  of  the  hand 
between  the  opposite  sexes,  there  is  an  inter- 
change which  neutralizes  the  true  hunger  of  the 
sex  nature,  satisfying  all  its  demands,  thereby 
lessening  the  liability  of  their  falling.  The 
question  might  be  asked  by  some :  would  not 
the  intensity  of  the  action  of  the  life  forces,  pro- 
duced by  dancing  and  promiscuous  magnetic 
interchange,  lead  to  greater  desire  for  indul- 
gence of  the  sex  nature?  In  reply  we  will  say 
that  that  would  be  the  case  only  where  the 
mind  and  desires  were  in  that  direction  before 
they  began ;  but  if  the  desires  were  for  purity 
of  life  all  real  demands  would  be  satisfied 
without  thought  of  sexual  indulgence ;  in  fact, 
all  real  demands  are  satisfied  in  all  cases,  the 


92  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

products  of  a  sensual  desire  being  left  with  the 
base-minded  only. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  a  person  filled 
with  life  can  dance  about  a  carpeted  room,  and 
coming  suddenly  up  to  a  gas-burner,  light  it 
with  a  touch  of  the  finger.  This  being  true, 
you  will  readily  see  how  much  of  an  interchange 
of  sex  life  there  is  in  a  company  during  an 
evening's  dance.  Realizing  this  fact,  is  it  not 
enough  to  make  any  pure-minded  person 
shudder,  to  see  young,  pure  blossoms  on  the 
dancing-floor  with  the  debauchee,  who  is,  per- 
haps, filled  with  loathsome  disease?  although 
such  a  one  may  be  considered  a  very  respectable 
gentleman,  because  of  wealth  and  station. 

According  to  the  law  of  generation,  opposites 
attract  each  other,  hence  the  life  emanations  of 
the  male  are  attracted  by  the  female,  and  vice- 
versa  ;  which  is  the  same  law  that  applies  in 
chemistry.  As  has  already  been  stated,  when 
two  elements  combine  chemically,  another  sub- 
stance is  produced.  In  the  chaste  association 
of  the  sexes,  each  will  readily  discriminate 
between  the  variety  of  feelings  and  mental 
conditions  produced  by  different  persons.  It 
will  be  observed  that  one  will  set  the  brain  in 
a  whirl  of  uncertainty  and  chaos ;  another  will 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  93 

have  the  effect  of  giving  mental  clearness  and 
intensity,  causing  the  mind  to  run  on  until 
exhausted  ;  another  will  cause  physical  activity, 
and  so  excite  the  nervous  system  that  it  could 
not  long  be  endured  ;  and  others  will  excite  the 
passions  to  activity.  Thus,  every  person  will 
produce  effects  analagous  to  their  own  nature ; 
and  all  these  effects  are  as  varied  as  the  natures 
of  individuals.  Associating  in  purity  will 
furnish  opportunities  for  each  to  study  these 
effects,  and  decide  which  would  be  most 
desirable  for  a  life-long  companion ;  and  will 
overcome  all  that  vague  ideal  which  so  often 
misleads  and  deceives  young  people. 

Chemical  analysis  reveals  the  fact  that  the 
body  is  composed  of  separate  elements,  and 
that  the  different  conditions  of  individuals  are 
caused  by  different  combinations  of  these 
elements,  which  gives  full  evidence  that  in  so 
far  as  the  combination  of  these  elements  differ, 
so  must  the  individuals  differ  one  from  the 
other.  Therefore,  we  may  reasonably  argue, 
that  the  mind  qualities,  as  well  as  the  life 
qualities  and  magnetic  emanations,  are  but  the 
sublimated  chemicals  of  the  person ;  and  if  this 
is  true,  then  we  should  consider  the  relative 
effect  of  one  person  upon  another,  judging  from 
their  chemical  composition. 


94  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

All  chemists  know  that  there  are  many  mild 
and  useful  elements,  harmless  in  themselves, 
which,  if  put  together,  will  make  the  most 
terrible  explosives ;  others,  deadly  poisons ; 
while  others  will  not  combine,  but  will  continue 
to  repel  each  other  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to 
unite  them. 

Men  and  women  marry  and  combine  the 
elements  of  their  bodies  to  produce  offspring. 
The  query  now  arises :  what  will  be  the  result 
of  that  chemical  combination?  We  can  find 
the  answer  in  past  experiences  by  looking 
around  us ;  but  you  can  form  a  correct  answer 
when  you  watch  and  sense  the  effect  of  those 
interchanges  which  always  take  place  between 
men  and  women  in  all  ordinary  association. 
For  two  persons  to  sit  near  each  other  is  suffi- 
cient to  create  this  interchange,  if  they  are 
filled  with  life ;  so  that  when  the  opportunity 
is  given  for  harmonious  association  without 
that  monster  sensual  desire  being  present,  it 
is  easy  to  discern  correctly  what  will  be  the 
product  of  a  more  complete  interchange. 

As  before  referred  to,  how  often  it  occurs 
that  fine-looking,  active,  brilliant  men  and 
women  marry,  and  soon  after  inharmony 
enters;  one  or  the  other  becomes  indolent  or 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  95 

inclined  to  run  into  vices ;  when  all  blame  is 
attached  to  one,  and  pity  to  the  other ;  the  fact 
never  being  taken  into  consideration  that  there 
has  been  a  chemical  change  wrought,  and  that 
this  condition  has  been  created  through  im- 
proper elements  being  combined. 

The  ti-me  has  come  for  these  things  to  be 
understood,  and  if  they  are  not,  the  people  will 
rebel  against  the  laws  that  bind  men  and 
women  together,  thereby  demanding  experience 
even  to  promiscuity,  which  will  produce  such 
a  fire  of  passion,  that  the  reproduction  of  our 
race  will  cease  altogether.  Not  only  this,  but 
too  intense  passion  destroys  the  mind  and 
opens  the  door  to  all  kinds  of  excesses,  which 
state  of  affairs  is  already  rapidly  gaining 
ground  in  the  world. 

But  the  thought  and  habit  of  chaste  associa- 
tion modifies  the  passions,  and  precludes  all 
inclination  for  those  soul-destroying  vices,  self- 
abuse,  and  promiscuous  indulgence ;  in  fact, 
such  association  would  make  them  impossible. 

Most  young  men  are  taught,  by  those  older 
than  themselves,  that  all  there  is  of  love,  or 
even  fondness  between  the  sexes,  is  the  desire 
for  the  sex  relation;  and  yet,  if  they  would 
truly  analyse  their  own  feelings,  they  would 


96  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

discover  a  desire  for  that  sweet  harmony  pro- 
duced by  the  chaste  love  of  the  opposite  sex. 
Woman's  nature  is  more  conjugal  love  than 
sexual  desire ;  she  wants  someone  to  love  and 
caress.  That  is  the  only  desire  of  most  young 
women,  and  in  fact  of  all  women.  The  real 
ideal  in  the  heart  of  a  young  woman  is  a  strong 
man  on  whom  she  can  lean,  and  into  whose 
keeping  she  can  commit  her  life,  to  be  con- 
trolled, guided,  and  protected ;  one  in  whom 
she  can  live  and  love  continually,  and  who  has 
manhood  enough  to  control  himself  and  live  in 
harmony  with  nature's  laws.  Could  she  find 
such  a  one,  she  would  worship  him,  and  pour 
through  him  all  the  wealth  of  her  mind  and 
soul,  thus  increasing  his  power  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  especially  supplementing  his  brain 
power,  by  supplying  all  deficiences.  This 
would  continue  through  life,  provided  the  man 
had  sufficient  control  of  himself  to  refrain  from 
exhausting  her  life  through  mere  indulgence 
of  the  senses.  However,  just  as  soon  as  he 
does  this,  all  that  pure  affection  is  destroyed. 
It  may  for  a  time  be  turned  into  mere  passion, 
and  create  a  morbid  satisfaction  ;  but  even  this 
does  not  occur  once  in  twenty  instances,  as  in 
the  majority  of  cases  a  complete  repugnance 


PRACTICAL    METHODS.  97 

takes  place  in  the  woman,  causing  her  to  with- 
draw from  the  man.  In  the  majority  or  modern 
marriages,  not  only  is  her  power  withdrawn, 
but  it  is  all  turned  against  him,  thus  becoming 
a  constant  menace  to  both ;  and  many  times, 
the  man,  through  his  ignorance  .  eeks  in  more 
frequent  indulgence  for  that  something  so  valu- 
able to  him,  and  thereby  brings  on  weakness, 
sickness,  and  early  death.  There  is  no  one 
thing  producing  more  unhappiness,  combat, 
discouragement,  drunkenness,  crime,  and  pre- 
mature death,  than  a  lack  of  knowledge  on  this 
subject. 

Truly,  everything  is  obtainable  through  a 
chaste  life,  a  life  of  self-control,  and  everything 
desirable  is  lost  by  indulgence.  One  hour  of 
chaste  love  between  man  and  woman  is  worth 
more  to  any  couple  than  all  the  indulgence  of  a 
long  life.  If  man  pursues  woman  and  forces 
himself  upon  her,  she  will  hate  him ;  but  if  he 
is  kind  and  gentle,  and  is  careful  never  to  force 
himself  upon  her,  but  always  keeps  her  mind 
desiring  him,  she  will  worship  him,  and  give 
herself,  soul,  body,  and  mind  to  him;  but  if 
her  passions  are  exhausted,  she  may  respect 
but  she  cannot  love  him. 

Every  woman,— shall  we  not  say  every  man? 

6 


98  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

— while  there  may  be  exceptions,  has  an  ideal 
companion  which  begins  to  take  form  and  char- 
acter in  their  minds  as  soon  as  they  arrive  at 
puberty.  The  purer  the  habits  of  life,  the  more 
perfect  is  the  image  in  the  dream  consciousness 
in  the  waking  as  well  as  the  sleeping  hours. 
They  begin  to  look  into  the  faces  of  everyone 
they  meet,  in  search  of  that  ideal,  and  they 
early  recognize  something  of  their  ideal  in 
someone  or  other,  although  none  come  up  to 
their  standard  in  all  particulars ;  until  brought 
into  close  sympathy  with  one  who  apparently 
has  many  of  those  ideal  qualities  combined, 
they,  having  no  knowledge  or  teaching  on  this 
subject,  conclude  such  to  be  the  one,  and  fre- 
quently marry,  only  to  awake  to  find  it  but  a 
dream  of  youth.  The  man  will  then  turn  his 
mind  wholly  into  other  channels.  Some  plunge 
into  business  and  are  entirely  absorbed  by  it; 
while  others  become  reckless  of  everything,  and 
seek  to  gratify  that  unsatisfied  desire  in  society, 
and  in  promiscuous  relations.  Such  lives,  in  so 
far  as  any  real  satisfaction  or  happiness  is  con- 
cerned, are  -failures. 

Woman  clings  more  tenaciously  to  that  ideal 
than  man;  her  nature  being  love,  she  must 
have  some  object  to  love.  Woman,  under  the 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  99 

same  circumstances,  awakens  sooner  to  her 
mistake  than  man :  when  she  does,  she  closes 
up  the  inner  sanctuary  of  her  soul  to  the  man 
she  has  married,  and  lives  as  in  a  sepulchre, 
or  tries  to  divert  her  mind  by  society,  dress, 
flirtation,  etc.,  etc.  But  sooner  or  later  she 
meets  some  man  who  seems  to  fill  that  ideal, 
and  when  she  does,  unless  the  moral  sentiment 
and  love  of  reputation  is  transcendently  strong, 
she  is  at  the  mercy  of  that  one.  If  he  is  strong 
and  manly,  she  hides  away  in  her  soul  the  fact 
of  her  love,  and  lives  in  her  ideal,  and  continues 
to  love  him  through  life.  The  great  David  of 
the  Bible  said:  "  Behold  I  was  shapen  in 
iniquity,  and  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive 
hie." 

The  seventh  commandment  says:  "  Thou 
shalt  not  commit  adultery. "  Is  it  possible  to 
commit  adultery?  From  the  ordinary  under- 
standing of  the  term,  adultery  means  to 
adulterate  with  other  qualities  than  the  primate 
one.  All  know  the  natural  impossibility  of  two 
men  associating  in  the  production  of  a  child. 
What  then  could  this  commandment  mean?  I 
will  answer  this  question  by  relating  an 
instance  that  came  to  my  notice  about  the  time 
these  thoughts  were  being  completed  in  my 
mind. 


100  PRACTICAL   METHODS. 

I  was  introduced  to  a  family  where  there 
were  three  fine  children,  all  of  whom  were  of 
very  light  complexion,  while  the  mother  was 
almost  a  brunette.  I  had  not  seen  her  husband, 
consequently  I  said  to  the  mother:  "  I  suppose 
Mr.  E —  has  a  very  light  complexion ?"  She 
answered:  "  No,  he  is  almost  as  dark  as  I 
am/'  This  surprised  me,  and  set  me  to  think- 
ing on  the  subject,  and  I  determined  to  know 
what  I  could  about  it.  One  day  the  opportunity 
came,  and  I  asked :  "  Before  marriage,  did  you 
not  love  a  man  who  had  a  light  complexion?" 
She  hesitated  a  moment,  but  being  reassured, 
answered:  "  My  aunt  raised  me,  and  on 
coming  to  womanhood  I  promised  her  not  to 
marry  anyone  who  would  take  me  away  from 
her.  Subsequently  a  gentleman  came  here, 
from  a  distant  city,  on  business,  and  remained 
some  time.  We  became  attached  to  each  other, 
and  he  wanted  me  to  marry  him,  and  go  with 
him  to  his  home ;  but  I  could  not  break  my 
promise,  so  after  a  time  he  went  home,  and  I 
have  never  seen  him  since.  After  his  depar- 
ture, Mr.  E —  came  to  the  house,  and  in  course 
of  time  we  were  married."  She  repeated  the 
statement:  "  I  have  never  seen  the  gentleman 
since." 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  101 

Why  did  all  these  children  resemble  her  first 
love?  Because  the  image  of  that  man  lived  in 
her  mind  and  heart :  she  loved  him.  Perhaps 
Mr.  E —  surfeited  her  with  his  passion,  and 
when  she  wanted  to  love  and  caress  him,  he 
would  return  animal  desire,  which  killed  out  all 
possibility  of  any  love  that  might  have  been 
born,  if  he  had  been  strong  enough  in  his  true 
manhood  to  control  himself  and  her.  There- 
fore, all  her  love  went  out  to  her  first  ideal, 
and,  no  doubt,  was  reciprocated  in  his  inner 
consciousness ;  and  when  she  allowed  the 
womanly  passion  to  act  enough  to  produce  off- 
spring, her  mind  held  before  it  the  image  of 
the  one  she  really  loved.  From  other  experi- 
ences, we  are  prepared  to  say,  that  her 
condition  in  the  act  that  should  be  most  sacred, 
so  fully  affected  him  as  to  at  least,  cause  him 
to  desire  similar  relations ;  and  if  his  body  was 
asleep,  it  would  produce  a  dream  that  would 
make  him  think  that  he  was  really  with  her. 
Thus,  enough  of  the  vital  elements  of  life  were 
really  exchanged  between  them  to  give  quality 
to  the  germ.  Mr.  E —  could  furnish  the  mate- 
rial, but  Mr.  —  furnished  the  essential  life. 

We  know  that  it  is  an  undeviating  law  in  all 
nature,  that  every  seed  brings  forth  after  its 


102  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

kind,  and  we  cannot  believe  that  this  was  an 
exception.  In  the  case  which  we  have  cited 
there  was  real  adultery ;  and  this  is  not  an 
exceptional  case  only  in  so  far  as  conditions 
made  it  conspicuous  to  the  eye.  The  excep- 
tional cases  are  where  similar  conditions  do  not 
exist.  Jesus  said:  "  Ye  shall  know  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free."  Again, 
the  same  authority  says :  "  He  that  committeth 
sin  is  the  servant  of  sin  ";  and,  "  Sin  is  the 
transgression  of  the  law."  Therein  the  law 
and  the  commandment  were  both  transgressed. 
The  knowledge  herein  given,  if  acted  upon, 
will  open  the  way  for  all  to  free  themselves 
from  the  tormenting  servitude  of  yielding  them- 
selves a  constant  prey  to  another  they  do  not 
and  cannot  love. 


EIGHTH  LESSON. 

ALL  the  power  of  the  mind  is  dependent  upon 
the  ability  of  the  individual  to  concentrate  and 
hold  it  upon  one  subject  or  thought  as  long  as 
he  wishes.  Few  persons  realize  what  a  woeful 
waste  of  mental  power  is  constantly  going  on 
within  them. 

One  seldom  meets  a  person  who  can  control 
his  mind  sufficiently  to  keep  it  from  wandering 
when  he  wishes  to  hold  it  to  one  subject  or 
thought.  The  brain  possesses  many  organs, 
and  those  act  upon  as  many  subjects  as  their 
functions  embody.  Unless  brought  under  the 
control  of  an  educated  will,  they  are  like  an 
army  of  men  without  a  captain,  each  acting  in 
his  own  peculiar  way,  and  differently  from 
every  other  one ;  thus  throwing  the  whole  army 
into  chaos,  each  being  in  the  other's  way,  if 
not  actually  antagonistic.  So  it  is  with  the 
various  mind  organs ;  if  they  are  not  educated 
to  work  in  concert,  the  mind  becomes  practic- 
ally useless.  The  habit  of  reading  carelessly, 
is  one  of  the  most  prolific  sources  of  distraction 
of  the  mind. 


104  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

In  our  present  civilization,  reading  matter  is 
so  abundant,  that  people  are  apt  to  acquire  the 
habit  of  devouring  everything  in  the  shape  of 
literature  that  comes  in  their  way ;  spending 
all  their  leisure  time  in  reading,  merely  as  a 
pastime,  without  any  idea  of  profiting  there- 
from, which  fosters  the  habit  of  forgetfulness. 

When  talking  with  persons  about  reading 
light,  trashy  literature,  they  usually  answer: 
"  Oh,  it  does  not  affect  me;  I  don't  remember 
it  any  longer  than  the  time  it  takes  me  to  read 
it."  That  is  to  say  they  have  drilled  them- 
selves in  forgetfulness,  and  what  is  worse  they 
have  established  within  themselves  the  habit  of 
thinking  to  no  purpose ;  in  other  words,  the 
habit  of  abstraction  in  thought.  Such  persons 
can  learn  nothing,  they  are  mere  automatons, 
machines  that  run  whenever  there  is  the 
slightest  thing  to  set  them  in  motion,  obtaining 
no  benefits,  nothing  but  the  wear  and  tear  of 
the  machinery. 

Just  imagine  the  condition  of  the  mind  of  a 
person  who  reads  or  hears  expressions  of  a  line 
of  thought  continually,  and  retains  nothing. 
It  can  readily  be  seen  that  such  a  mind  is  well 
drilled  to  uselessness;  so  much  so,  that  an 
important  thought  makes  no  impression  on  it. 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  105 

Again,  the  habit  of  talking  a  great  deal,  and 
seeking  association  with  others,  just  for  the 
sake  of  talking  and  hearing  about  matters  of  no 
real  interest,  are  the  drills  that  are  so  common 
in  society  to-day,  and  which  destroy  the  powers 
of  the  mind  for  usefulness.  To  ask  people  of 
such  habits  to  hold  their  minds  on  one  subject 
for  five  minutes,  would  be  useless,  for  they  are 
incapable  of  doing  so.  It  must  have  been  this 
state  of  mind  that  Paul  spoke  of  in  his  day, 
that  was  "  ever  learning,  and  never  able  to 
come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth. "  Such 
persons  so  thoroughly  banish  from  their  minds 
everything  that  they  read  or  hear,  that  the 
most  practical  and  important  ideas  suggested 
to  them  fall  upon  barren  soil ;  the  thought 
never  entering  their  consciousness  that  they 
could  make  any  use  of  them ;  although  they 
may  say:  "  Oh,  that  is  a  grand  idea!"  that  is 
the  last  of  it,  for  it  is  forgotten  the  next 
moment. 

Thus  many  a  man,  and  woman,  possessing 
an  active,  well-organized  brain,  succeeds  in 
passing  a  long  life  of  uselessness  to  themselves 
and  to  the  world,  where  they  might  have  been 
a  benefit,  if  the  mind  had  been  properly  con- 
centrated. 


106  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

If  this  were  all,  it  would  not  be  so  deplorable, 
but  this  condition  of  mind  is  apt  to  throw  off 
the  bridle  from  all  the  animal  propensities,  and 
give  them  perfect  freedom  of  action.  They 
live  as  mere  animals,  living  in,  and  being 
governed  by  circumstances,  society  rules,  the 
imitation  of  the  habits  of  others,  and  the 
psychic  influence  of  other  minds.  Let  such  be 
placed  outside  the  restraining  influence  of 
associates  and  the  fear  of  public  opinion,  and 
they  will  go  down  to  the  level  of  their  own 
sensuous  natures,  and  in  many  cases  to  vice 
and  crime ;  for  they  cannot  be  governed  by 
the  high  and  moral  integrity  shown  in  the 
example  of  others,  nor  by  the  strong  influence 
of  other  minds,  for  the  reason  that  they  live 
wholly  in  the  senses  of  the  animal  body ;  there- 
fore, they  resist  the  restraining  influence, 
although,  while  in  immediate  association  they 
may  be  subject  to  it;  yet,  if  left  entirely  to 
themselves,  they  at  once  manifest  their  real 
natures.  Having  no  ability  to  control  self, 
they  are  easily  psychologized  and  brought 
under  the  control  of  the  most  vicious  and 
sensuous  minds  with  which  they  may  come  in 
contact. 

Many  persons  in  the  higher  circles  of  life, 


PRACTICAL    METHODS.  107 

who  may  read  these  words,  from  having  formed 
that  vicious  habit  of  thought,  or  non-thought, 
may  say:  "  This  is  very  good  indeed;  and 
describes  the  low  and  vulgar  accurately,  but 
of  course  I  am  above  that."  But  you  are  not. 
It  is  to  you  that  I  bring  this  warning.  You, 
being  surrounded  by  the  most  favourable  cir- 
cumstances, are  held  under  the  control  of  those 
circumstances,  in  so  far  as  your  acts  in  public 
are  concerned;  but  tell  me, — dare  you?  what 
are  your  private  feelings,  thoughts,  and  de- 
sires? Would  you  have  me  know  a  small 
portion  of  them  for  the  wealth  of  the  world? 
and  how  much  less  your  associates  in  general? 
We  know  that  this  habit  of  reading  and  talk- 
ing for  mere  pastime  is  not  only  a  popular 
habit,  but  it  is  esteemed  as  culture  by  many. 
But  how  many  sons  and  daughters  squander 
the  wealth  inherited  from  their  parents  in  the 
most  reckless  manner,  as  soon  as  they  come 
into  possession  of  it,  and  through  doing  so 
become  mere  vagabonds  or  tramps.  I  have 
taken  it  upon  myself  to  visit  and  talk  with 
those  who  frequent  such  places  as  "  The  Sun- 
day Morning  Breakfast  Association, "  where 
hundreds  of  these  unfortunates  go  to  get  a  cup 
of  coffee  and  a  piece  of  bread ;  and,  by  careful 


108  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

investigation,  I  found  that  nearly  ninety  per 
cent,  of  them  were  born  of  well-to-do  parents, 
and  that  fully  twenty-five  per  cent,  were  college 
graduates;  this  deplorable  condition  having 
been  brought  about  by  the  habits  just  cited. 
Not  that  the  habit  of  reading  without  thought, 
or  talking  without  any  definite  object,  will  of 
itself  produce  this  condition,  but  it  produces 
a  condition  in  the  mind — which  is  all  there  is  of 
one's  real,  conscious  self-hood — that  will  in- 
evitably lead  to  such  results  sooner  or  later. 

We  have  shown  this  one  source  of  mental 
Distraction  in  order  to  reach  the  class  of  minds 
that  we  have  been  describing ;  for  those  who 
think  they  have  no  need  of  this  instruction,  are 
the  ones  who  need  it  the  most. 

Mental  concentration  must  become  a  habit, 
in  order  to  make  it  available.  To  do  this,  we 
advise,  first,  that  a  person  should  be  very  care- 
ful as  to  what  they  read,  and  secondly,  as  to 
how  they  read.  To  begin  with  you  should  read 
nothing  but  thoughts  worth  thinking  about,  and 
which  will  aid  you  in  storing  the  mind  with 
useful  knowledge.  Of  course  there  is  a  great 
diversity  of  mind ;  and  this  being  so,  in  telling 
you  how  to  read,  it  is  difficult  to  give  instruc- 
tions that  will  suit  all  classes. 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  109 

Persons  born  between  April  19th  and  May 
20th,  and  also  those  born  between  September 
23rd  and  November  22nd,  should  first  carefully 
determine  what  line  of  thought  they  wish  to 
memorize,  ever  keeping  before  their  minds  the 
practical  use  they  wish  to  make  of  the  ideas 
they  are  collecting.  As  nearly  all  books  con- 
tain as  much  rubbish  as  valuable  thought,  it 
is  doubly  important  that  they  should  know  what 
they  are  looking  for.  They  should  scan  the 
pages  rapidly,  and  repel  all  ideas  that  are  not 
useful;  and  when  one  is  found  that  is  useful, 
it  should  be  read  slowly,  and  in  a  musing  atti- 
tude of  mind ;  and  as  soon  as  the  idea  is  fully 
impressed  upon  their  minds,  they  should  stop 
reading.  After  this  they  should  take  the  ideas 
and  use  them  in  a  practical  way  in  connection 
with  what  they  have  already  learned  on  that  or 
similar  subjects.  In  order  to  illustrate  this: 
suppose  they  are  studying  chemistry;  when 
they  have  grasped  an  idea,  they  should  relax, 
close  their  eyes,  and  in  their  imagination  make 
the  experiment  in  every  way  that  they  can  con- 
ceive it  could  be  made  useful.  Better  yet,  if 
the  opportunity  presents  itself  for  them  to  make 
a  practical  experiment  they  should  do  so;  but 
if  it  does  not,  doing  it  perfectly  in  the  imagina- 
tion will  impress  it  upon  their  minds  almost  as 


110  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

completely  as  if  they  had  worked  it  out  in 
practice. 

All  should  be  careful  not  to  carry  on  too 
many  lines  of  study.  Take,  as  far  as  you  can, 
one  line,  and  ultimate  that  before  you  begin 
another.  All  those  who  begin  on  any  specific 
line  of  study,  should  first  decide,  after  careful 
thought  and  self-examination,  what  character 
of  knowledge  would  be  most  useful  and  desir- 
able to  them.  To  do  this  it  is  necessary  to 
take  a  great  deal  of  time  alone,  away  from  the 
mental  atmosphere  of  everybody,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible. Sit  quietly,  and  focalize  your  mind  upon 
the  various  spheres  of  usefulness  occupied  by 
men  with  whom  you  have  been  brought  in  con- 
tact; and  determine  which  occupation  would 
suit  you. 

Everyone  should  have  an  opportunity  for 
carefully  studying  the  nature  and  requirements 
of  every  department  of  business,  by  going 
where  such  business  is  carried  on ;  thus  en- 
abling them  to  form  accurate  conclusions,  both 
as  to  what  business  pursuits  they  desire  to 
follow,  and  what  is  more  important,  as  to  the 
practical  value  they  will  gain.  Of  course  this 
would  take  considerable  time,  but  not  so  much 
as  a  college  education  to  attain  a  profession  for 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  Ill 

which  they  have  neither  inclination  nor  adapt- 
ability. 

There  is  usually  too  much  haste  to  fit 
children  for  some  profession,  and  parents  are 
too  apt  to  choose  some  occupation  for  their 
children  without  properly  counselling  their  de- 
sires and  adaptability  for  what  they  have  in 
view.  When  such  is  the  case,  the  children, 
having  no  idea  of  the  value  of  the  knowledge 
received,  simply  study  to  recite  the  lessons, 
after  which  it  is  as  effectually  forgotten  as  if 
it  had  never  been  learned.  It  is  an  old  adage : 
*  You  can  lead  your  horse  to  water,  but  you 
can't  make  him  drink. "  You  may  send  chil- 
dren to  school  or  college,  and  compel  them  to 
memorize  their  lessons,  but  you  cannot  compel 
them  to  retain  what  they  have  memorized, 
much  less  to  receive  the  practical  value  of 
something  for  which  they  are  not  adapted,  and 
which  they  will  not  use.  Such  educati  n 
amounts  to  nothing  but  the  creation  of  a  habit, 
of  either  mere  imitativeness,  or  distraction  of 
the  mind. 

When  the  proper  vocation  is  selected,  then 
the  mind  will  have  a  definite  object,  and  a  good 
and  sufficient  reason  for  searching  after  know- 
ledge and  retaining  it;  for  the  human  mind  is 


112  PRACTICAL    METHODS. 

so  constituted,  that  it  cannot  search  after  and 
retain  ideas  for  which  it  has  no  conscious  use. 

Whatever  means  can  be  employed  to  produce 
a  consciousness  of  the  need  of  knowledge,  will 
strengthen  the  powers  of  concentration  and 
retention. 

A  person  of  a  scientific  or  philosophic  turn  of 
mind  should  read  only  for  the  purpose  of  gain- 
ing knowledge  which  they  can  use.  This  leads 
the  mind  into  originating  thoughts,  which  is 
really  the  only  method  of  study  that  will  aid 
in  the  individualization  of  oneself.  We  believe 
that  no  one  should  accept  as  final  any  scientific 
conclusion  drawn  by  another,  but  should  always 
receive  it  and  hold  it  subject  to  careful  analysis. 
iWe  know,  of  course,  that  we  should  profit  by 
the  experience  of  others ;  but  we  should  accept 
nothing  as  a  fact,  until  we  have  fully  proven, 
to  our  own  satisfaction,  that  the  conclusions 
drawn  from  these  experiences  are  correct. 

METHODS   TO    DEVELOP    CONCENTRATIVENESS. 

Practise  reading  when  people  are  talking 
around  you.  The  greater  the  difficulty  in  read- 
ing and  understanding  under  such  circum- 
stances, the  greater  the  need  in  your  case  for 
persistence. 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  113 

Remember,  it  is  not  enough  to  read  the 
words,  but  you  should  take  some  subject  in 
which  you  are  interested,  and  make  your  mind 
perfectly  oblivious  to  everything  except  that 
which  you  are  reading,  and  read  to  understand. 
We  would  advise  that  you  persist  in  it,  even 
though  you  find  it  necessary  to  re-read  a  sen- 
tence over  many  times.  Hold  your  mind  to  it, 
and  continue.  Get  your  mind  so  firmly  fixed 
on  the  thought  you  are  reading,  that  if  anyone 
should  speak  to  you,  you  could  answer  and  go 
right  on  with  the  thought  without  being  dis- 
turbed by  the  interruption.  This  will  aid  you 
to  take  the  second  and  further  step,  of  carrying 
on  a  consecutive  line  of  thought,  wherever  you 
are,  independent  of  circumstances ;  but  you 
must  educate  your  mind  to  do  this. 

One  of  the  best  methods  of  training  the  mind 
in  concentrativeness  is  to  take  all  your  spare 
time  alone  in  your  room,  and  write  down 
thoughts  that  will  be  of  practical  value  to 
others.  You  will  finci  by  the  effort  to  serve 
others,  that  you  will  serve  yourself  most.  Ask 
yourself :  how  can  I  serve  others  to  the  best 
advantage?  Observe  your  associates,  and  see 
where  they  are  labouring  at  a  disadvantage, 
and  how  they  are  bringing  upon  themselves 
trouble,  anxiety,  and  sickness. 


114  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

Search  out  from  within  yourself  the  remedy 
for  such  difficulties,  or,  in  other  words,  a  proper 
course  of  life  which  will  remedy  the  evil,  then 
write  those  thoughts  out  clearly  and  practically, 
and  you  may  depend  upon  it,  if  you  have  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  line  of  thought  that  is 
needed  by  the  people,  a  way  will  be  opened  for 
you  to  place  it  before  them.  But  here  we  meet 
two  classes  of  minds  :  one  that  is  reticent  about 
offering  its  thoughts  to  the  public,  no  matter 
how  valuable  they  may  be ;  and  the  other  too 
ready  and  ever  persistent  in  presenting  im- 
mature, and  therefore  worthless  thoughts  for 
public  notice.  By  careful  consideration  of  the 
subject  you  will  readily  discern  to  which  class 
you  belong. 

It  is  a  law  of  nature,  that  wherever  there  is 
a  need  there  is  a  supply.  The  evidence  of  this 
is  found  in  the  fact  that  there  is  a  demand  for 
that  which  is  needed ;  and  if  you  have  it,  it 
will  be  acceptable,  even  sought  for,  and  there 
will  be  no  difficulty  in  your  being  able  to  serve 
an  important  use  thereby. 

Remember,  if  no  one  else  derives  any  profit 
from  your  best  efforts  to  help  them,  you  will  be 
forming  nevertheless  the  habit  of  orderly,  con- 
secutive, and  reasonable  thought,  and  this  is 


PRACTICAL   METHODS.  115 

the  prerequisite  to  genuine  manhoocl,  and  a 
successful  career  in  any  department  of  life ;  for 
without  it  no  man  can  rise  above  the  common 
level  of  the  masses,  but  will  remain  as  a  mere 
server  in  a  menial  sphere. 

Mind  is  the  most  valuable  of  all  things  in  the 
world ;  and  the  one  with  the  greatest  capacity, 
and  the  greatest  willingness  to  be  of  use  to  the 
world,  is  the  one  who  is  always  sought  for  to 
occupy  high  and  important  spheres  of  useful- 
ness, and  who  will  be  honoured  and  remuner- 
ated accordingly. 

The  habit  of  carrying  on  a  line  of  thought  in 
your  mind,  weighing  and  balancing  everything 
accurately,  is  very  essential  to  the  development 
of  mind  power.  A  few  illustrations  may  be  of 
profit  to  you. 

If  you  intend  to  build  anything,  for  instance, 
a  house,  build  it  first  completely  and  perfectly 
in  your  imagination :  lay  the  foundation, 
measure  each  piece  of  lumber  in  your  mind, 
making  a  memorandum  with  pencil  and  paper 
as  to  how  much  of  each  kind  you  will  require, 
— lengths,  widths,  etc.  Thus  go  through  every 
part  mentally,  until  you  see  the  house  complete 
and  perfect.  Then  if  you  wish  to  draw  a  plan 
of  it  afterwards,  you  are  prepared  to  do  so. 


116  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

If  it  is  a  machine  you  purpose  to  build,  calcu- 
late mentally  how  many  revolutions  each  wheel 
will  be  necessitated  to  make,  what  their  sizes 
should  be,  etc. ;  going  through  the  entire  pro- 
cess of  building  it,  until  you  see  the  machine 
complete  in  your  imagination.  Then  hold  it 
before  the  mind  and  go  over  it  a  second  time, 
and  make  sure  that  it  is  perfect,  searching  for 
all  possible  deficiencies.  Again,  if  you  are 
going  into  business  where  book-keeping  is 
essential,  place  your  mind  upon  the  object  to 
be  obtained  by  the  keeping  of  books.  You 
know  that  the  object  of  book-keeping  is  to 
know  accurately  where  all  goods  go  to ;  how 
much  is  derived  from  their  sale ;  how  much 
profit  is  gained  thereby,  and  how  every  man's 
account  stands  who  deals  with  you ;  then  put 
the  question  to  yourself: — how  can  I  accom- 
plish this? 

With  this  thought  clearly  defined,  you  can 
take  up  any  one  of  the  varied  systems  of  book- 
keeping, and  learn  it,  simply  by  carefully 
examining  the  methods  by  which  results  are 
obtained.  When  you  are  looking  for  results, 
the  methods  by  which  to  obtain  those  results 
will  present  themselves  to  your  mind  without 
difficulty.  Then  the  only  thing  necessary,  after 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  117 

you  have  gone  over  the  minutiae,  is  to  take  up 
each  branch  in  your  imagination,  with  the 
thought  in  view  of  how  to  obtain  correct  results, 
and  carry  them  out  to  their  ultimates. 

This  method  of  concentrating  and  holding 
fixedly  to  whatever  interests  you,  with  the 
thought  in  mind  of  methods  for  accomplishing 
desired  results,  will  make  everything  easy  to 
you. 

By  being  able  to  concentrate  and  hold  the 
mind  on  a  given  subject  or  thought  without 
wavering,  powers  are  attainable  transcending 
the  ordinary  idea  of  what  is  possible.  It  was 
well  known  to  most  ancients,  that  as  soon  as 
a  thought  concerning  anything,  and  a  know- 
ledge of  where  that  thing  belongs,  comes  to 
anyone,  by  concentrating  the  mind  upon  it  and 
holding  it  there  steadfastly,  all  the  knowledge 
concerning  it  could  and  would  be  obtained. 

By  carefully  considering  and  applying  these 
truths,  you  will  be  able  to  think,  and  also  to 
form  the  habit  of  thinking  from  your  own 
volition ;  to  think  when  you  wish  to  think,  and 
you  will  also  know  how  to  stop  when  you  wish 
to.  This,  by  the  way  is  just  as  essential  in 
some  instances  as  to  know  how  to  think. 
Many  persons  have  destroyed  themselves 
through  inability  to  stop  thinking. 


118  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  takes  as 
much  vitality  to  think  as  it  does  to  do  physical 
labour.  It  is,  therefore,  just  as  essential  to  be 
able  to  rest  from  thought,  when  one  wishes  to 
do  so,  as  it  is  to  be  able  to  stop  work  when  one 
is  tired. 

Study  the  methods  by  which  you  begin  and 
carry  on  the  process  of  thinking ;  also  the 
methods  by  which  you  can  stop.  Observe  the 
difference  between  the  thoughts  of  a  concen- 
trated mind,  and  those  that  arise  from  the 
feelings.  For  instance,  after  you  have  been 
thinking  intensely  for  some  time,  turn  your 
mind  away  quickly  from  the  thought  you  have 
been  holding,  and  take  some  recreation.  Turn 
the  mind  to  something  mirthful,  but  as  you  do 
so,  observe  the  changes  in  your  feelings  and 
mentality.  See  if  you  can  in  the  midst  of  your 
mirthfulness  change  instantaneously  to  a  con- 
dition of  thoughtfulness,  and  then  back  again 
to  mirthfulness :  observing  carefully  the  pro- 
cess by  which  this  is  done ;  and  this  will  open 
the  door  more  quickly  and  directly  to  self- 
knowledge  than  anything  else  that  you  can  do. 

We  would  advise  that  you  not  only  observe 
the  method  by  which  you  think  or  stop  think- 
ing, but  also  observe  carefully  every  sensation, 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  119 

feeling  and  emotion  of  the  body,  searching 
carefully  to  find  the  cause.  Examine  closely 
and  see  if  you  cannot  discover  the  thought  that 
produces  the  sensation  or  emotion ;  also  the 
thought  that  will  change  or  stop  it.  Herein 
will  be  found  the  keys  to  perpetual  health ;  for 
the  mind  originally  created  the  body,  and  the 
educated  mind  is  capable  of  perpetuating  it. 

After  ascertaining  the  thought  that  produces 
a  sensation,  and  the  method  by  which  you 
can  change  or  stop  it,  you  will  finally  be  able 
to  determine  the  cause  of  diseases  by  the 
changes  of  thought  and  feeling.  True  it  is,  as 
one  of  the  ancients  said  :  "  Man  only  begins  to 
live  when  he  begins  to  think, "  for,  until  then 
he  is  but  an  animal.  As  we  stated  in  a  former 
chapter,  all  pleasures  arising  in  the  senses, 
unguided  by  the  educated  mind  according  to 
the  law  of  use,  will  inevitably  bring  pain ;  but 
all  pleasures  arising  in  an  orderly  mind,  are 
like  those  of  the  angels,  bringing  lasting  profit 
and  pleasure. 

By  applying  the  methods  we  have  given  for 
conquering  the  controlling  power  of  habit  in 
everything,  even  to  the  generative  principle, 
and  by  the  retention  of  the  life  forces  generated 
in  the  body,  the  capacity  of  the  mind  and  the 


120  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

bocly  will  be  increased,  intensified,  and  illum- 
inated ;  so  that  the  most  ordinary  person 
applying  these  instructions  will  become  trans- 
cendently  superior  to  the  most  highly  organized 
person  not  doing  so ;  and  will  be  enabled  to 
see  that  life  has  an  object  worth  living  for. 

THE    NEW  MEMORY. 

The  reason  we  say  new  memory  is,  because 
the  old  memory  which  has  characterized  the 
world  in  the  past,  is  the  same  that  is  manifest 
in  the  animal  kingdom,  and  which  is  wholly  a 
thing  of  the  senses ;  being  limited  by  the 
vividness  of  impression  made  upon  the  con- 
sciousness, and  is  governed  either  by  fear  or 
desire,  which  are  the  prompters  of  attention. 
Man  has  now  risen  above  the  point  of  being 
controlled  wholly  by  the  animal  passions  and 
desires,  and  in  so  far  as  he  has,  he  finds  that 
his  memory  is  deficient. 

Again,  all  persons  at  the  present  time  are 
driven  by  the  force  of  circumstances,  with  a 
rapidity  far  in  excess  of  anything  in  the  past; 
so  much  so  indeed,  that  persons  in  the  ordinary 
spheres  of  usefulness  now,  have  as  many  things 
to  retain  in  their  memory  and  give  attention  to 
in  one  day,  as  our  ancestors  of  a  hundred  years 
ago  had  in  a  week. 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  121 

The  keenest  and  most  practical  business 
minds  have  intuitively  discovered  the  new 
memory  process,  which  is  based  on  the  order 
and  relation  of  one  thing  to  another ;  for  it  has 
been  found  that  in  any  business  where  there 
is  a  great  variety  of  things  to  attend  to,  it  is 
necessary  to  have  everything  in  perfect  order  ; 
otherwise  many  things  would  be  overlooked. 
The  processes  that  we  have  given  you  in  former 
lessons  for  strengthening  the  mind  and  increas- 
ing its  capacity,  lays  a  substantial  foundation 
for  this  new  memory  process,  which  is  based 
entirely  upon  the  law  of  order. 

Order  is  the  great  factor  in  all  nature :  every 
plant  and  animal  and  even  the  universal  mind 
is  distinguished  and  diversified  by  this  law; 
for  instance,  if  we  plant  a  kernel  of  corn  in  the 
ground,  from  the  time  it  sprouts  until  it  fully 
matures,  its  form  expresses  its  inherent  quality, 
thereby  distinguishing  it  from  all  other  plants. 

The  human  mind  has  become  accustomed  to 
distinguishing  the  quality  and  nature  of  all 
things  by  the  form.  This  has  been  carried  to 
great  extremes,  so  that  if  we  look  into  the  face 
of  a  man  or  woman,  the  form,  colour,  and  even 
the  differing  changes  of  expression  are  recog- 
nized,  and  the  disposition  producing  them 


122  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

defined.  Were  it  not  for  this  undeviating  law 
of  order  in  nature,  such  things  would  be  impos- 
sible. As  this  is  the  principle  in  nature  with 
which  we  have  become  most  familiar,  it  has 
become  the  strongest  faculty  of  the  human 
mind ;  consequently  with  a  little  observation  of 
its  character  and  methods  of  action,  and  by 
careful  culture,  it  can  be  developed  to  a  mar- 
vellous extent. 

As  we  lay  the  foundation  for  memory,  we 
necessarily  lay  the  foundation  for  the  develop- 
ment of  powers  that  heretofore  have  been 
associated  with  the  marvellous  or  magical. 
The  old  maxim:  "A  place  for  everything,  and 
everything  in  its  place, "  is  applicable  here 
as  a  foundation  for  making  a  clear  mind  and 
a  retentive  memory.  But  it  must  be  carried 
beyond  the  merely  material  things  that  we  are 
handling  and  have  about  us ;  it  must  have 
special  relation  to  the  mental  process.  What- 
ever sphere  of  life  you  now  occupy,  or  expect 
to  occupy,  study  to  know  all  about  it  in  every 
particular,  classifying  every  branch,  so  that 
everything  relating  to  it  will  be  like  a  picture, 
the  image  of  which  can  be  drawn  up  before  the 
mind's  eye  at  any  time,  and  all  the  parts  be 
distinctly  seen  in  the  imagination,  even  to  the 
smallest  minutia. 


PRACTICAL  METHODS.  123 

When  this  picture  is  thus  perfected  in  your 
mind,  or  even  while  in  process,  whenever  a  new 
idea  is  obtained,  call  up  the  picture  and  put  the 
addition  to  it,  and  impress  upon  your  conscious- 
ness what  it  is  you  have  put  there,  and  what 
use  it  is  to  serve. 

Anyone  can  make  as  many  pictures  in  this 
way  as  they  have  diverse  lines  of  thought.  If 
the  pictures  become  numerous,  to  facilitate  the 
process  of  calling  up  the  image  of  the  one  you 
want,  you  can  make  one  central  figure,  with 
all  the  others  merely  branches  of  that  one,  and 
arrange  them  ali  around  it  in  permanent  order ; 
then  all  you  will  need  to  remember  is  the  order 
in  which  they  are  arranged.  Your  mental 
vision  can  instantly  perceive  the  one  that  you 
wish  to  call  up,  and  as  soon  as  that  is  done,  the 
mind  will  quickly  grasp  all  the  minor  points 
pertaining  to  it,  and  the  thing  that  you  wish  to 
recall  will  be  before  the  mind's  eye  as  soon  as 
you  think  of  the  image.  These  memory  pictures 
will  involuntarily  unite  with  the  central  one  we 
have  just  referred  to.  This  central  picture  will 
be  like  a  person's  home :  it  will  express  the  real 
character  of  the  person  and  his  business  quali- 
fications, and  will  be  in  fact,  a  picture  of  the 
sphere  of  life  for  which  he  is  best  adapted. 


124:  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

This  method  will  answer  the  question  of  many 
who  want  to  know  for  what  sphere  of  use  they 
are  best  fitted. 

Having  established  the  method  of  associating 
everything  that  you  know,  and  every  new  idea 
that  you  have  obtained,  with  one  of  these 
pictures,  then  you  will  have  arranged  your 
mental  faculties  in  an  orderly  condition  for 

RECOLLECTION.       (RE-COLLECTION.) 

The  word,  recollection,  carries  with  it  the  idea 
of  recalling  to  mind  past  events.  The  collection 
of  thoughts  is  the  ordinary  mental  action,  and 
the  recollection  of  thoughts  is  the  process  of 
calling  them  back  after  they  have  gone  out, 
and  is  the  method  of  memory.  The  word, 
memory,  has  a  different  meaning. 

To  remember  a  thing  or  occurrence,  first, 
recall  it  (call  back)  to  the  mental  consciousness : 
then  you  remember  the  picture ;  that  is,  you 
put  member  to  member  in  its  order  as  it 
occurred.  Thus  you  perceive  that  the  process 
of  mentality  is  the  calling  in  of  thoughts,  or 
creating  them  and  putting  them  together  in  an 
orderly  structure,  which  is  in  an  image,  an 
imagination ;  that  is,  an  image  made  of  some- 
thing new  that  you  are  thinking  about,  or 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  125 

something  that  has  already  occurred.  Now  it 
is  plain  that  these  two  processes  of  mind  are 
those  which  we  wish  to  handle.  One  is  the 
memory  or  order  in  which  everything  naturally 
belongs.  The  other  is  the  calling  in, — collect- 
ing thoughts  concerning  things,  laws  or 
principles,  as  material  out  of  which  to  build 
something.  Something  which  is  built  may  be 
the  reconstruction  of  something  that  has 
already  been  built  by  another  mind,  which  is 
merely  imitation ;  or  it  may  be  the  creation  of 
something  that  has  not  before  existed  (in  so  far 
as  is  known  to  the  individual),  which  denotes 
the  originative  or  creative  mind. 

When  you  have  comprehended  the  precious 
lesson  clearly,  and  have  your  mind  in  order, 
viz.,  the  picture,  the  beauty  and  utility  of  these 
thoughts  will  be  plainly  manifest  to  your  mind, 
and  you  will  be  in  a  condition  to  handle  these 
faculties  at  will,  as  easily  as  a  mechanic  handles 
his  tools. 


CONCLUSION. 

IN  conclusion  we  wish  to  state  that  in  this 
booklet  we  have  adhered  closely  to  its  title— 
"  Practical  Methods  to  Insure  Success  "  in  the 
things  of  this  world.  While  this  is  true,  yet  to 
those  who  want  to  reach  the  highest  goal  of 
human  attainment,  these  methods  are  equally 
essential,  because  they  are  methods  leading  to 
compliance  with  nature's  laws,  and  therefore 
Divine  laws. 

Many  who  follow  these  instructions  to  ulti- 
mates  without  being  fully  and  firmly  decided 
that  they  desire  them  exclusively  for  material 
attainments,  will  have  an  experience  which  may 
come  through  a  vision,  a  vivid  dream,  or  an 
external  experience,  in  which  it  will  be  shown 
them  by  the  Spirit  that  they  have  reached  a 
point  where  it  is  necessary  for  them  to  decide, 
to  choose  between  obtaining  wealth,  honour, 
and  position  in  this  world,  or  being  poor,  de- 
spised of  men,  but  obtaining  the  true  honour 
and  riches  of  a  spiritual  life.  It  has  been  under- 
stood, since  the  teachings  of  the  Lord's  Christ, 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  127 

that  the  two  cannot  go  together.  It  was  said 
of  Him  :  "  He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men  ; 
a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief: 
and  we  hid  as  it  were,  our  faces  from  Him  ;  He 
was  despised  and  we  esteemed  Him  not." 
Christ  himself  said:  "  How  hardly  shall  they 
that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God?" 

You  who  would  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
and  be  one  with  the  Spirit  of  God ;  who  feel 
that  you  are  done  with  the  things  of  this  world, 
may  choose  the  highest  goal  of  attainment ;  but 
remember,  with  it  comes  poverty  in  the  things 
of  this  world,  and  dishonour  among  men. 

You  who  feel  that  you  would  like  to  bring  up 
a  nice  family,  and  have  at  your  command  the 
wealth  of  this  world,  and  a  high  position  among 
men  may  do  so ;  but  you  must  remember  that 
the  choice  that  you  make  at  this  time  is  for  the 
balance  of  your  physical  life  in  this  incarnation. 
Therefore,  do  not  pass  this  matter  over  lightly, 
because  it  is  the  most  important  decision  that 
can  be  brought  for  the  consideration  of  anyone. 
Also  bear  in  mind  that  you  cannot  choose  the 
highest  goal  of  human  attainment  and  after- 
wards change  your  mind,  and  choose  wealth 
and  honour,  for  we  doubt  that  there  is  anyone 


128  PRACTICAL     METHODS. 

who  would  ever  receive  them.  When  you  have 
chosen,  as  the  thing  most  desirable,  oneness 
with  the  Father,  you  cannot  turn  from  it  with- 
out disappointment,  sorrow,  and  probably  an 
early  death.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you  adhere 
strictly  to  your  covenant  dedication  to  the 
Spirit,  you  will  have  at  your  command  all  the 
highest  and  holiest  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  and  with 
them  Eternal  Life. 

11  Room,  room,  for  the  freed  spirit !      Let  it  fling 
Its  pinions,  worn  with  bondage,  once  more  wide  : 
And  if  in  earth  or  air  there  is  a  thing 
To  stay  its   soarings,  let  the  heavens  chide 
Away  the  silken  bondage  of  young  dreams. 
No  more  in  gentle  dalliance   I'll  lay 
My  hand  upon  my  lute,  like  one  who  seems 
In  half  unconscious  idleness  to  play ; 

"  But  all  there  is  in   me  of  loving  soul, 
Of  high,  proud  daring  or  intrinsic  trust, 
Shall  not  be  subject  longer  to   control  : 
For  my  desire  is  upward,  and  I  must 
Spurn  back  the  fetters  of  the  slothful  past 
As  a  loosened  captive  tramples  upon   his  chain  : 
From  now  henceforth   my   destiny  is  cast, 
And  what  I  will,  I  surely  shall  attain. 

tf  Onward  and  upward,  strengthening  in  their  flight, 
My  thoughts  must  all  be  '  eagle  thoughts,'  nor  bend 
Their   pinions   downward,  until  on  the  height 
That  nurses  Helicon's  pure  fount  I  stand. 


PRACTICAL     METHODS.  129 

Onward,  my  soul,  and  neither  shrink  nor  turn  : 
Be  cold  to  pleasure  and  be  calm  to  pain  : 
However  much  the  shrinking  heart  may  yearn, 
Listen  not,  listen  not :    it  is  vain. 

Upward  :    '  a  feeling   like  the  sense  of  wings,' 

A  proud,  triumphant  feeling  buoys  me  up, 

And  my  soul  drinks  refreshment  from  the  streams 

That  fill  forever,  Joy's  enchanted  cup. 

A  glorious  sense  of  power  within  me  lies ; 

A  knowledge  of  my  yet  untried  strength ; 

And  my  impatient  spirit  sighs 

For  the  far  goal,  to  be  attained  at  length." 


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